Birmingham City have a new manager, having sacked Aitor Karanka and brought in Lee Bowyer – a move that could impact Preston.
Bowyer resigned as Charlton boss in order to push through a return to Birmingham, having featured for the club in his playing days.
Everything has moved pretty quickly; Bowyer won his first game in charge on Wednesday night, leading his side to a 2-1 win over Reading.
Charlton have now landed Nigel Adkins as Bowyer’s replacement, and this could all imapct the future of North End striker Jayden Stockley.
Stockley joined Charlton on loan in January, and had been making a big impact under Bowyer, becoming a swift fan favourite at The Valley.
Bowyer has now moved on though, meaning Stockley will have to convince Adkins of his quality in order to earn a permanent move to South London – a deal that looked pretty likely before Bowyer’s exit.
Adkins did use a target man at Hull in Tom Eaves, so maybe Stockley can carve out a similar role under his new boss.
There is of course the possibility that Bowyer loves Stockley so much that he wants to take him to Birmingham, which would likely blow League One clubs out of the race.
Stockley is unlikely to have a future at Preston, and North End are likely left hoping that Bowyer’s exit doesn’t cost them a shot at a decent fee for the striker.