Preston appointed Joe Savage alongside Alex Neil in 2017, and it’s fair to say we don’t really know too much about him.
Savage was appointed Head of Recruitment at Deepdale, having worked with Neil at Norwich City and Hamilton Academical. Still, the only time he has ever been mentioned on the club’s official website was when he arrived.
Savage has never conducted an interview during his time at Preston, leaving many to wonder who he is. Alex Neil talked him up upon his arrival, telling the LEP that Savage has an ‘extensive knowledge’ of players in Europe. North End have yet to dip into the European market since he joined.
Interestingly though, he appears to have a decent reputation in the game. Before heading to Deepdale, Savage was actually linked with a move to Rangers.
The Gers were in the market for a director of football in 2017, and the Daily Record reported that Savage was a target. The job ended up going to Manchester Citys’ Mark Allen, with Savage joining Preston.
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Now though, Allen has left Rangers, leaving them to search for a replacement. The Record claim that Southampton’s Ross Wilson is a target, though he snubbed the job in 2017. The role is now available once again, and it will be fascinating to see whether Rangers return for Savage.
His record at Deepdale is a little patchy. In his successes category, you can name Darnell Fisher, Andrew Hughes, Jordan Storey and Patrick Bauer. Most are a little hit and miss though; Connor Ripley, Ryan Ledson, Brad Potts, Louis Moult, Jayden Stockley and Josh Ginnelly haven’t really done enough to be classed as successes.
That track record since Rangers’ initial links to Savage may dent any lingering interest, but having had him on their radar two years ago, it may be a situation to keep an eye on.