Preston North End swoop for ex-Middlesbrough man would make sense but clear transfer dilemma
PNE have been linked with a move for Nottingham Forest midfielder Lewis O'Brien
Preston North End have reportedly identified Lewis O’Brien as a potential loan signing in the final week of the transfer window.
The Lilywhites have made two new additions this month with Jayden Meghoma’s loan arrival following the permanent swoop for Lewis Gibson. Boss Paul Heckingbottom initially suggested that could well be PNE done but then changed his tune, stating the club would be ‘foolish’ not to keep their eye out.
And that view ramped up after Ben Whiteman’s injury blow was confirmed; the Preston captain is set to miss a couple of months due to his ankle setback. North End’s manager now sees midfield as a position PNE must at least aim to bolster.
O’Brien’s name is a particularly unsurprising one to emerge. Whiteman is a vastly experienced player at Championship level and the Forest man would fill that void for the rest of the season - having played just shy of 150 games in the second tier.
Not only that, but O’Brien is a player Heckingbottom is said to have targeted before - in the summer of 2023 while at Sheffield United. The PNE chief has spoken about signing younger players to become assets for Preston but he evidently values experience highly too.
And with just 17 league games left to play - along with the FA Cup fourth round clash against Wycombe Wanderers - Heckingbottom is going to be after an immediate fix in the engine room. It’s something he touched on after securing the deal for Meghoma.
While the Brentford loan man is only 18-years-old and untested at the level, the North End manager had full faith - given his experiences at the Bees and character as a player - that Meghoma could step straight on to the Championship stage and contribute.
There would no question marks over O’Brien in that regard. While the last two years haven’t been exactly smooth sailing, he has been a stand out performer in the league before. And as for the traits Heckingbottom wants in his team, O’Brien would not struggle to tick boxes.
He is an aggressive midfielder both in-and-out of possession - an intense presser who likes to get stuck in while being able to drive forward naturally with the ball. O’Brien can play short progressive passes well and get himself into the opposition’s box.
Potential dilemma...
O’Brien will of course be on decent wages at the City Ground. That is said to have made a move to Blackburn Rovers - who tried to sign him in 2023 but failed due to a paperwork error - unlikely this month. PNE, therefore, would need to find necessary room on the wage bill through to June.
And, ironically, a current loan agreement with O’Brien’s parent club could well prove a stumbling block. Forest winger Josh Bowler is with Preston for the season and the Deepdale club appear to be struggling to move him on.
As reported, no recall clause was included in the Bowler deal. The wide man has not been in the North End squad of late and Heckingbottom admitted he could leave before the window shuts. How exactly that happens, mind, remains to be seen.
It was thought that PNE’s solution would be to find Bowler another club to join however it seems increasingly likely he won’t be going anywhere. And with that particular wage outlay believed to be fairly high, securing another expensive loan deal may well be tough to get done.