Nathan Lowe Joins Hibernian on Loan from Stoke City

Hibs have found their new focal point up front – and they’ve gone south to get him.

Nathan Lowe has joined Hibernian on a season-long loan from Stoke City, with David Gray convinced he has finally landed the “physical presence” and “natural goalscorer” he has been chasing all summer.

A striker on the rise

Lowe is only 20, but his CV already looks like that of a forward in a hurry. An England Under-19 international, he came through Stoke’s academy and has been pushed hard by the Championship club, both in terms of contracts and competitive minutes.

He made his senior debut for Stoke in February 2023, then was rewarded with a new four-and-a-half-year deal the following January. Before heading to Edinburgh, he agreed an extension that ties him to the Potters until 2029 – a clear signal that this loan is about development, not a parting of ways.

Game time in the Potteries has been limited: eight starts, 21 appearances from the bench, and two goals. The real noise around Lowe has come from his loan spells lower down the English pyramid.

Goals that travel

It was at Walsall in League Two where he truly announced himself. Lowe hit 18 goals and laid on seven assists in just 30 appearances, a blistering run that earned him the English League Two Young Player of the Year Award. He didn’t just poach tap-ins; Gray highlights a “range of different types of goals,” from bustling finishes in the box to more composed efforts.

Last season, he split his time between two promotion-chasing League Two and League One sides. He scored 11 across a first half of the campaign with Stockport County and a second stint at Wycombe Wanderers, proving he can adapt quickly to new surroundings and new demands.

That adaptability will matter in Leith.

What Hibs think they’re getting

Gray has been clear about what attracted him. “He brings a great energy and enthusiasm about his play, as well as a physical presence,” the Hibs head coach told the club’s website. For a side that has often lacked a dominant figure to occupy centre-backs and pin defences back, Lowe ticks obvious boxes.

He is still raw, still learning, but he has already “played a substantial amount of games at a competitive level despite his young age,” as Gray put it. That blend of youth and experience is exactly what Hibs have been trying to add to a squad that must handle domestic demands and European nights.

Stoke’s long view

Stoke have not sent him north lightly. Sporting director Jonathan Walters praised Lowe’s willingness to keep testing himself after spells in Leagues One and Two, highlighting his “mature character” in choosing a new challenge in Scotland.

The lure for Stoke is clear. Hibs can offer something the English lower leagues cannot: European football. Walters pointed to that as “something new” that will only accelerate the forward’s development, with the club pledging to keep a close watch on his progress.

For Hibernian, the equation is simpler. They needed a striker who can bully defenders, run tirelessly, and, above all, finish. Lowe has done all of that in England.

Now he has a season in Edinburgh to prove he can do it under a different kind of spotlight.