Preston North End loanee Liam Millar probably got out of FC Basel at the right time as the Swiss side suffer a terrible season.
North End pounced to land wide man Liam Millar on loan from FC Basel on transfer deadline day.
The Canadian international penned a season-long loan deal at PNE and has made an impression in his first couple of months at the club.
Quick, direct and dangerous in the final third – Millar has been exactly what PNE fans wanted to see.
Millar may well believe that he made the move at the right time too, as parent club Basel are having an absolutely disastrous season.
Basel struggling after Liam Millar departure
Basel are known as being a regular in European competitions and effectively the big power of Swiss football.
12 of their 20 title wins have come since the turn of the millennium, as have eight of their 13 Swiss Cup wins.
Yet if you look at the Swiss Super League table right now, Basel sit dead last.
Basel have won just two of their 13 league games, losing nine in a dreadful start to the campaign.
The situation has been pretty desperate; Timo Schultz, only appointed in May, was sacked on September 29th.
Sporting director Heiko Vogel took over but lasted just a month, meaning new boss Fabio Celestini is already the third Basel boss of the season.
This is a club in complete chaos right now and Millar will probably feel glad that he isn’t part of it.
This may be a good time for a cheeky PNE bid
North End fans would love to see Millar stay for the long-term and Basel’s dire situation may just make this the ideal time for an offer from PNE.
Come next summer, Millar will have just one year left on his Basel deal, potentially taking a chunk of his value.
There is also a genuine possibility that Basel could end up in the second tier, which would also impact potential sale figures.
If Basel continue to struggle ahead of January, PNE would be wise to test the waters with an offer, trying to tempt Basel into selling now rather than risking a lower fee in the summer.
That is something many North End fans can get behind, with Millar the kind of player we would love to see for years to come.