Hibs Sign Nathan Lowe: A Natural Goalscorer on Loan from Stoke
Hibernian have moved to sharpen their attack with the signing of highly rated forward Nathan Lowe on a season-long loan from Stoke City – and David Gray believes he has finally found the physical spearhead his side has been missing.
The 20-year-old, capped by England at Under-19 level, arrives with a growing reputation as a penalty-box predator and a player who relishes the physical side of the game. Gray made no secret of what attracted him.
He wanted presence. He wanted goals. Lowe ticks both boxes.
A striker on the rise
Lowe is a product of Stoke’s academy, climbing through the ranks before making his senior debut in February 2023. The Championship club quickly moved to protect their asset, handing him a four-and-a-half-year contract in January of that year. They have doubled down again: his latest extension now runs to 2029, signed in tandem with this loan to the Scottish Premiership.
Stoke’s long-term commitment underlines how they view him. Hibs get the here and now; the English club are banking on the future.
Game time has been limited in the Potteries – eight starts and 21 substitute appearances, with two goals – but Lowe has already shown what happens when he is trusted to lead the line consistently.
The real noise came at Walsall.
Breakthrough in the lower leagues
Dropped into League Two, Lowe exploded. In just 30 appearances for Walsall, he hit 18 goals and laid on seven assists. That output didn’t just catch the eye; it earned him the English League Two Young Player of the Year Award.
Those numbers matter. They speak to a striker who does more than lurk in the box. He finishes, he creates, and he sustains it over a campaign.
Last season underlined his adaptability. Lowe split the year between Stockport County and Wycombe Wanderers, operating at a higher level and still finding the net. He scored 11 across spells with the League One promotion contenders and their divisional rivals, learning to cope with different systems, different demands, different pressures.
Gray sees a player already hardened by that circuit, despite his age.
“He brings a great energy and enthusiasm about his play, as well as a physical presence,” the Hibs head coach told his club’s website. “He is a natural goalscorer and he has proven that he can score a range of different types of goals. He has good experience too, having already played a substantial amount of games at a competitive level despite his young age.”
Stoke’s long view, Hibs’ immediate gain
From Stoke’s side, this is a carefully judged step. Sporting director Jonathan Walters believes the next phase of Lowe’s education lies north of the border, in a different football culture and on a bigger stage.
“Nathan has no doubt benefitted from the experiences he's had in Leagues One and Two and it speaks to his mature character that he wants to test himself in a new environment in Scotland,” Walters said.
There is another layer to this move. Hibs’ European involvement offers Lowe something he has not tasted before.
“That he will also gain exposure to playing in European competition is something new and will only help his development. We will keep a close eye on his progression,” Walters added.
For Hibs, that European angle is more than a selling point in negotiations. It is a proving ground. A young striker with a record of punishing defences in England’s lower leagues will now be asked to carry that threat into the cut and thrust of the Premiership and beyond.
The stage is bigger. The scrutiny sharper. The stakes higher.
Hibernian believe Nathan Lowe is ready for all of it. Now he has to show that the numbers from Walsall and Wycombe were not just the start of his story, but the standard.
