Cameron Archer has hugely impressed at Preston North End since his loan signing from Aston Villa.
The striker has scored five goals in twelve games and has given the side a different option in attack. He’s a natural goalscorer with pace and a powerful shot key characteristics of his game.
He’s different to Emil Riis, Ched Evans and Sean Maguire, and both Ryan Lowe and the North End faithful would be delighted to see Archer extend his stay at the club past the end of the season.
His manager at Villa is a big fan too though, and Steven Gerrard will want to see him at the club in pre-season.
If he does go back out on loan, there will be plenty of other clubs; some more likely to gain promotion than Preston, who will be keen on signing him too.
Archer’s talent is now being recognised on the international front. He made his debut for the England Under-20 side in November of last year, and he has been called up once again by manager Andy Edwards for upcoming games against Poland and Germany.
Another name in the squad instantly stands out and it is that of Tyrhys Dolan.
The Blackburn Rovers attacker has impressed since leaving Preston in the summer of 2020. It was a poor decision from the North End hierarchy not to give Dolan a contract as he has become a key part of the Rovers squad.
Dolan even scored against his former club in a game Preston were easily beaten by Rovers last season at Deepdale. Luckily for us it was behind closed doors.
Blackburn are now well and truly in the hunt for a play-off spot and Dolan can looking forward to his first England youth cap.
Archer may find himself lining up alongside Dolan for the forseeable future in these England squads and if they do form a good partnership it will be a huge ‘what if’ moment for Preston North End as they could have been combining for club and country.
Opportunities for younger players have been few and far between in recent years, with there seeming to be a ceiling to which they hit and can longer break into the first team.
Another player in that squad has Preston connections as well. James Hill is former left-back Matt Hill’s son, and has enjoyed a promising start to his career which led to a move to Bournemouth in January. Once thought to be on the radar of Preston, he looks set for a bright future in the game.