Nottingham Forest transfer agreement may need serious consideration by Preston North End

Preston North End manager Paul Heckingbottom made it a priority to make Josh Bowler his one summer signing, after being appointed on August 20.

There were only 10 days left to wheel and deal in the transfer market, with four players having already been recruited by the Deepdale outfit. North End’s new boss felt he needed to add some spark to his squad; a player capable of ‘changing the dynamic’ of the team was a phrase often coined.

And PNE managed to get the deal over the line, with Bowler’s arrival - on a season-long loan with option - confirmed on deadline day. Having starred in the division for Preston’s fiercest rivals, and delivered an impressive first interview at Deepdale, there were plenty on board with the fifth summer capture.

Bowler’s flair was evident to see on debut at Middlesbrough; he carried a threat against Fulham a few days later and played a pivotal role in Ryan Ledson’s goal. Another start was handed out for derby day with Blackburn Rovers, but the red card to Sam Greenwood did not help Bowler’s cause.

Then, Preston headed to Millwall and put in a dreadful performance - in which the wide man was one of the poorer players on the pitch. Since that day at The Den, Bowler has played 32 minutes of league football: an unused sub on six occasions and absent from the squad at Plymouth Argyle, due to illness.

He did get the nod against boyhood club, Arsenal and played an hour against the Gunners. But, overall, this has not gone to plan for any party. Heckingbottom’s preference has been a wing-back system, which has also led to very limited game time for fellow summer recruit, Jeppe Okkels.

As for Bowler, though, the move to Preston looked like a great chance to make his mark at Championship level again - after a hit-and-miss loan spell at Cardiff City. The Lilywhites had lost last season’s bright winger in Liam Millar and early signs were that Bowler could fill that very void.

However, he is now struggling to get on the pitch at all. The likes of Kaine Kesler-Hayden, Brad Potts and Robbie Brady, prior to his injury, look to be ahead in the pecking order. It cannot be anything other than frustrating, for a player who was excited about the move, confident in his ability and hungry to entertain.

It is a difficult situation, in which,the fact of not seeing Preston’s players every day, feels relevant. Bowler, and Okkels for that matter, came across as good characters - they clearly have talent too. But, it can only be concluded that neither have shown the manager enough so far, perhaps both in games and training.

The next two or three weeks will be particularly important for Bowler. The team needs to pick up more points and if performances don’t improve, opportunities could come the way of him and others. He will absolutely need to take those if so.

But, if the current trend continues, then there are serious questions to be asked as to whether anyone is actually benefitting here. There is very little point having a loan player in the building, not playing football and contributing to the team. Quite simply, nobody wins.