'I think he could be...' - The Sheffield Wednesday verdict on Preston North End's imminent striker signing

Preston North End look set to sign Michael Smith on a free transfer following his exit from Sheffield Wednesday.

The 33-year-old left the Owls after three years this month, by mutual consent. Smith and fellow front man Josh Windass departed following issues around wage payments. PNE have swooped in and are the front runners to secure his services.

So, what will he bring to the table at Deepdale? Someone who is best placed to explain is Wednesday reporter for the Sheffield Star, Alex Miller. Here, he gives us the lowdown on what North End will be getting...

Smith scored eight league goals last season for Wednesday, do you think he is still Championship level?

“Yeah, definitely,” said Miller. “I think he sort of proved himself at Championship level last season. In terms of impact, he was in and out of the starting line-up, probably a little bit more than he would have preferred, considering the contribution he was making. A lot of his contributions were from the bench. Obviously, he's got a certain profile as a striker and I think Danny Rohl preferred to have either him or Calum Paterson being introduced, while the game was stretched one way or another.

“He certainly did that with the games that he started as well. He made a big impact in those and scored some really important goals for Wednesday. If you look back at his Championship record with Rotherham, which was usually a struggling side, he still popped up and got goals and was a really important player for them as well. So, depending on how Preston intend to use him, I think he could be a big plus in that box.”

Were his goals quite consistent in terms of the type he scored, or is he a threat in more than one way?

“Yeah, it's easy to sort of look at a big number nine like that and pigeonhole him in a certain way, but he offers so much more,” said Miller. “We saw him at times sort of dropping in a little bit, which speaks to his technical aptitude. I remember once or twice under previous managers, you'd find him out on the right-hand side and actually putting the cross in. I know that was something that he did quite a lot at Rotherham.

“We saw it not incredibly often. You wouldn't call it a trademark of his time at Wednesday, but it's certainly something that he's capable of. If Preston fans want to have a look at his performance at Portsmouth last year, he was sort of brought into the starting line-up in what was quite a direct approach.

“But his goal there, I mean, if it wasn't for Josh Windass's goal from his own half against Derby, I think that would have been an absolute nailed-on goal of the season for Wednesday, and potentially even the Championship as well. Over his career at Wednesday, he could point to half a dozen, even up to a dozen games, where he was one of the standout figures on the pitch. You can tell that he does leave with good memories from how he's thought of in the Wednesday fan base.”

He has regularly been 40s and high 30s for appearances, so pretty dependable? And what is he like as a character?

“Lovely fellow, really down to earth, big family man and very humble and honest,” said Miller. “I think you guys will appreciate speaking to him in the press and by extension of that, the fans will get to know him.

“No frills, Geordie, if you like. Big Newcastle United fan, grew up idolising Alan Shearer and came up through the Boys Club up there, which is obviously famed for so many good, honest Premier League and international footballers.

“I think his sort of grounded upbringing, perhaps, and the way he goes about it, you can see that in the way he plays and certainly in the way that he talks. Preston are getting a really good, honest and hard-working player and I think that's what so many fans sort of bounce off and want to see from footballers.”

Did he feel at all like a player entering the back end of his career, or pretty sharp still overall?

“Pretty sharp,” said Miller. “Danny Rohl had him doing things that previously, Darren Moore didn't have him doing. That showed a different side to his game that he could develop, even going into the twilight of his career. I'm touching wood at the minute, but not a player that suffered from injuries, really.

“He was in and out the Wednesday side in terms of the starting line-up, but that was purely down tactical decision-making. I would expect him to be available, he's very durable. The number of times that you see a player of that profile and skill set go down, having been kicked in the shin or taken one in the head, he just gets up and gets on with it. I'd expect him to make a big contribution across the whole season.”

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