Preston North End may have dodged a bullet with unsuccessful Everton transfer chase

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but Preston North End's failed pursuit of Tom Cannon may not be all bad after a recent bit of news from Leicester City.

Cannon - who scored eight goals in 21 games - was one of the Lilywhites' top targets this summer transfer window, and he was considered a realistic signing at one point.

Deepdale bosses tried their best to bring him back and explored various avenues, but following links from Middlesbrough and other big Championship hitters, his destination would be the King Power Stadium. He joined the Foxes for a reported £7.5m on deadline day, in what was one of the biggest transfer fees of the summer spent by a second tier club.

PNE boss Ryan Lowe claimed that Everton 'moved the goalposts' after a deal had been agreed to take him on loan again, before the Toffees changed their stance to wanting a permanent sale. Preston's board organised the finances for a permanent move, but the 20-year-old ended up joining Leicester.

The relegated side and Cannon have been dealt a blow, however, as first-team manager Enzo Maresca revealed that the Republic of Ireland striker had sustained an injury, which would rule him out for an unspecified period. “Tom Cannon is out with some problems," said Maresca to the Leicester Mercury. “I don’t know (how long Cannon is out for).”

Injuries aren’t nice at all, and it is hoped that given Cannon’s efforts for Preston that his injury is not serious and that he recovers well. Minds at Preston though may be thinking that they could have actually come out of the Cannon saga well.

Preston’s summer-long wait for a striker looked to be in vain when Cannon went elsewhere, but Ryan Lowe at least knew money was at his disposal to spend on bringing in new players.

Money set aside for Cannon went elsewhere and on deadline day saw the arrivals of Liam Millar and Milutin Osmajic, with the latter joining for a club record fee. Osmajic arrived in England late this week after his visa application was accepted, and he is now in contention to make his debut against Plymouth Argyle on the weekend.

Preston proudly sit top of the Championship, and despite being unfancied by those outside of the club, are showing the early signings that they are capable of mixing it with the big boys, whilst also being financially astute in the transfer market.