Loan Success Stories

Every Walsall fan knows the struggle all too well, of a last minute loan in the transfer market. Has anyone actually researched him? Will he even make the bench? Certain names come to mind like Derick Osei-Yaw(n), Krystian Bielik, Danny Cashman, however what must be said is that our hit rate in the loan market in recent years has been fantastic. The likes of Freddie Draper, Danny Johnson, Nathan Lowe, Carl Rushworth, Liam Bennett to name a few. But where are they now? And who has had the most successful career? I'm going to find out so you don't have to.

1. Derick Osei-Yaw - Played for Walsall for one season (2020/21) making 11 league appearances, scoring no goals. Played for AFC Wimbledon the following season having another poor season, before moving to the Bulgarian first division. He is now without a club as of 2025.

2. Krystian Bielik - Played for Walsall for half a season in 2018 - except he didn't. An injured deadline day loan signing, who played zero total minutes for the club. Fantastic. Now plays for West Brom valued at £2million...

3. Liam Bennett - Played for Walsall in 2022 and enjoyed a fruitful season in RWB, before being recalled by Cambridge. He has been a key player for the club ever since and has enjoyed long spells of first team football.

4. Nathan Lowe - Starboy. Played for Walsall in 2025, had over twenty goal involvements by January. National attention on his performances. Recalled, dropped. Tragic. Now on loan at Hibernian the striker has enjoyed his first taste of European Football, scoring and assisting in Hibs first two games for the season.

5. Carl Rushworth - The goalkeeper who came in in 2021 is the player on the list who has had the highest rise since his spell with the club. Just last week Rushworth signed for newly promoted Coventry City having been their starting goalkeeper in the promotion season, for a fee around £30million.

Out of all of these players, I personally believe that Nathan Lowe is likely to go the furthest and I would expect that he will too play in the Premier League, and maybe even at a higher level. Whilst the start of his loan at Hibs hasn't been perfect, he has impressed and if he can keep turning up on the score sheet he's only going to get better every week.

Rushworth will be a success in the Premier League I'm certain. I'll be following along with his results this season.

Which of the former loan players do you think will still go the furthest in their careers?