Stoke City Academy TD Namechecks Two Stars As Loan Plans Explained
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Stoke City academy technical director Gareth Owen has name-checked Tommy Simkin and Nathan Lowe as the club’s two best loanees this season and revealed what the Potters have planned for their youngsters next term.
The Potters have multiple youngsters who are tipped for big futures out on loan to lower division clubs in England to ensure their growth with regular game time.
England youth international Lowe had an exceptional loan stint in League Two with Walsall in the first half of the season; he scored 18 goals and provided seven assists in 30 games.
Young shot-stopper Simkin is also on loan at Walsall, where he has been Mat Sadler’s first-choice custodian all season.
Lowe was recalled mid-season to help Stoke City out, and Potters academy technical director has admitted that Simkin and Lowe have been the standout loaned-out players in this campaign.
Owen made it clear that the club want to smooth the youngsters’ path to grow even more next season by creating a proper loan strategy to ensure their constant development.
“Our primary focus is going to be, increasing the pathways for young players”, Owen told Stoke City’s in-house media (0:55) when he was asked about his role at the club.
“So, of course, that is your Sol Sidibes, Nathan Lowes, Nathan Tezgels, Tommy Simkins, Freddie Anderson, while he is out on loan.
“[Liam] Lawrence [Under-21s assistant] is away with Italy, he is obviously supporting the guys at the top end.
“As a part of it, that is then formalising the loan strategy, what does that look like for next year.
“We have had really good lads out on loan this year, especially Tommy and Nathan in particular, but there have been others, maybe lower down in the pyramid, so [our plan will be to think] how to formalise that and put a strategy in place.
“Because that does not just ‘click your fingers and it will happen’, you have to put the stepping stone is place.”
Walsall are on course to achieve automatic promotion to League One next year, and it remains to be seen if Simkin will be kept for another season on loan at the Saddlers and if Lowe will be loaned out too, as he has struggled to clock regular minutes at the Championship club.
First and foremost, though, Stoke will need to ensure their Championship status by the end of the summer to implement their developmental ideas to the full.
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