Much has been made of Tyrhys Dolan and his Preston exit last summer, which would have been annoying enough had he not joined local rivals Blackburn Rovers.
Dolan was released despite excelling in Preston’s Under-18’s, and Rovers swooped in to sign him, with the winger quickly establishing himself in their first team.
The teenager has shown real promise in the Championship, leaving Preston to reflect on what looks to be a pretty disastrous decision.
Rovers then signed another ex-Preston talent as Joe Nolan signed on a free transfer, having also been allowed to leave Deepdale for nothing last summer.
Nolan hasn’t quite had the huge first-team impact of Dolan, but he’s already impressing in the Rovers ranks.
In Premier League 2, Nolan has been a sensation for Rovers, hitting four goals and one assist in just eight appearances.
He has played as a central midfielder, holding midfielder and number 10 for Rovers’ Under-23’s, and his form means a first-team chance surely isn’t far away.
Dolan’s rise has been hard to take, but Nolan too? That would be incredibly hard to swallow for Preston and leave North End red-faced again.