'Got unbelievable' - Boost of AFC Bournemouth loan swoop pinpointed by Preston North End manager
PNE have signed the AFC Bournemouth striker on loan
Preston North End manager Paul Heckingbottom is excited to be back working with striker Daniel Jebbison.
The AFC Bournemouth man became PNE’s fifth signing of the summer transfer window last month, and is the club’s only loan recruit so far. He linked up with North End for the first time on Wednesday, having been away at the Gold Cup with Canada until late June.
Jebbison arrives at Preston on the back of a mixed 2024/25 campaign, which saw him have a tough loan spell at Watford before returning to Bournemouth and make regular appearances off the bench.
Heckingbottom had the tall front man at Sheffield United, whom Jebbison left last summer for a reported £1.5m compensation fee. There is one aspect to the striker’s game which particularly excites the North End boss.
"He's coming into a really good group of players who apply themselves really well," said Heckingbottom. "He's got unbelievable athleticism. He stands out in the Premier League. His fitness is great, his top end speed is fantastic but the good thing is he can keep repeating that top end speed, over and over.
“I obviously worked with him a lot when he was younger and gave him his debut. He then got a good move to Bournemouth; I think they took advantage of circumstances and got him for a really good fee.
“He had missed a lot of football just prior to that move and then he had a loan spell at Watford, which was up and down - a difficult place for him to go. Then he went back to Bournemouth and did really well in the last dozen games, and showed what he has got at Premier League level.
“He was coming on and impacting games and that's what we are wanting, obviously for more minutes than at Bournemouth. They have allowed him to come to us because they think I know him really well, it will be a good place for him to develop and we'll give him that opportunity to develop as well."