Stoke City must resist Walsall temptation if Tom Cannon concern comes true in January | OneFootball

The Potters need to keep Nathan Lowe out on loan with the Saddlers rather than cut his deal short in the new year

Stoke City will be anticipating an uncertain January window with Tom Cannon possibly set to be recalled by Leicester City, but the club must not move to do the same to Nathan Lowe at Walsall, and instead allow him to keep developing out on loan.

The Potters are failing to hit the heights in front of goal this season as a team, yet Cannon has been scoring relatively consistently, which should come as no surprise given the almighty battle that ensued for his signature in the summer window.

His exploits have prompted rumours of the Foxes being ready to recall him in the new year, to either sell him on or keep him in their Premier League squad, and so Stoke will be on red alert for solutions to the real issue that would arise if he is not plying his trade in ST4 come February.

The Potters' own loanee, Nathan Lowe, has seriously impressed in his time at Walsall in League Two so far, picking up individual awards and enjoying some strong form that has seen him fire the Saddlers up the table in their quest for automatic promotion.

The 19-year-old's impressive feats have seen Potters fans call out for his return, if disaster does strike with Cannon, but it would make much more sense to keep him out on loan at Walsall, so he can get a full season of consistent senior football under his belt before returning to the bet365 Stadium.

Nathan Lowe has been a hit at Walsall so far

Lowe joined Stoke at age 10 in 2016, and worked his way to the first-team to be handed his first consistent chances in senior football under Alex Neil and Steven Schumacher last season, amid the team's struggles in front of goal.

He scored a dream first goal for his boyhood club, an 89th minute winner at Bristol City in September, and went on to make 15 appearances in all competitions while being largely used off the bench throughout the rest of his first full campaign.

The 19-year-old joined Walsall late on in the summer window, after Stoke had waited to sign Sam Gallagher from Blackburn Rovers, and made an instant impact with a brace on his first start for the club against Huddersfield Town in the EFL Cup.

Lowe followed that up with his first league goal for the Saddlers just days later, with the opener against Cheltenham Town, and has barely looked back in the last few months as Mat Sadler's side make a real challenge at the top of the fourth-tier.

He won the EFL's Young Player of the Month award after registering four goals and one assist in five appearances in October, and has since continued to pop up at key moments, with his latest goal sealing a late win over Notts County to keep Walsall within touching distance of table-toppers Port Vale.

The England under-19 international recently admitted that he hopes that Stoke are "watching" and are "impressed with what I am doing," and there is no doubt that Potters boss Narcis Pelach will be keeping a keen eye on his developments just down the M6.

While Stoke may be looking at Lowe with real promise for the years to come, they must resist the urge to call him back if the worst happens with Cannon, as the jump up to the Championship from League Two is a big one, and he would be best-served having a full season at a level that he is clearly very impressive at.

Stoke won a real tough battle for Cannon's services in the summer, and he has repaid their faith in him with goals here and there, but his mostly inconsistent form is still much better than any other attacker at Pelach's disposal right now.

The 22-year-old has only scored in four separate league games as yet, but currently sits joint-fourth in the Championship scoring charts with seven league goals to his name so far, and the club cannot afford to lose him in the January window if they wish to continue their challenge for a top-half finish and not get dragged into a relegation battle this season.

Crucial recent developments have revealed that he has a recall clause in his loan deal that the Foxes could potentially trigger in January to sell him on for a sizeable fee and leave the Potters short-changed, and Stoke will want him to keep scoring to help them win games, but a recall would also be increasingly likely if he continues to net in the lead up to the new year.

If he does go back to the King Power Stadium to either be sold on or kept in Ruud van Nistelrooy's squad, it would leave Stoke needing new additions to their own frontline, yet another Premier League loan, or even a signing from abroad, would make more sense than bringing Lowe back into the second-tier fold right now.