Preston North End have made it three signings in a week with Wigan Athletic forward Will Keane arriving.
PNE snapped up Danish playmaker Mads Frøkjær-Jensen on Tuesday before adding Duane Holmes on Wednesday.
North End are back in the market again, this time securing the signature of Keane.
PNE have this evening confirmed that Keane has rejoined the club for an undisclosed fee.
Keane, who joined PNE on loan from Manchester United way back in 2015, is back for another spell at Deepdale after penning a two-year contract.
Keane’s return to PNE will divide opinion, so here is our verdict on North End’s latest signing…
Deepdale Digest writer verdict
Olly Dawes: We can understand some scepticism over Keane, mostly based on his last spell with PNE.
Keane not only struggled in front of goal back in 2015 but also left under something of a cloud as he returned to Manchester United in search of playing time that never came.
That was a long time ago now though, and it’s not really worth holding anything against him for a decision made eight years ago.
Keane didn’t exactly impress with Hull City and Ipswich Town but seems to have found his best form in recent years.
48 goals in the last three seasons – including 12 in a relegated Latics side last term – suggests Keane has put his game together.
Signing a 30-year-old with no resale value won’t please everyone but PNE did need some more experience up top amid concerns over Ched Evans.
Keane also provides some tactical flexibility having played up front, just off a striker, as an attacking midfielder and even out wide for Wigan.
That means we could see Keane dropping off a main striker in Ryan Lowe’s 3-5-2, just as Troy Parrott did when working off Tom Cannon, or he could fit into more of a 3-4-2-1 – just like Frøkjær-Jensen and Holmes.
All in all, we can see the thought process behind signing a versatile and experienced forward like Keane but there needs to be a younger, speedier addition alongside him.
Josh McLaughlin: Not a signing that is going to excite many Preston North End fans, but one which isn’t a surprise given our financial situation.
On paper, a low-cost transfer, and someone who has scored 48 league goals in his last three seasons doesn’t sound too bad.
36 of those goals game in League One before 12 in a Championship campaign that ended in relegation for Wigan Athletic.
Will Keane is 30 now and won’t exactly have much resale value. This isn’t a signing with an eye on the future. He’ll be similar in many ways to Ched Evans, as Keane has become a bit of a battering ram as his career has progressed.
His loan spell with us eight years ago only yielded one goal although that did come in a memorable win at Turf Moor. Keane didn’t pull up many trees after that until his move to Wigan in 2020.
It’s risk free but we’d definitely need another striker to sign on top of this and I would hope they would be of better quality.