Preston North End defender Patrick Bauer has quickly become a fan favourite at Deepdale.
Ever since Preston swooped to land Bauer, it looked to be the ideal signing. North End needed an uncompromising centre back to partner Ben Davies. One with power, aerial ability, more experience than Jordan Storey but more left in the tank than Paul Huntington. Oh, and being cheap was always preferable with North End.
Bauer ticked every box. He’d played in the Championship, excelled in League One, came in for free and signed at 26. Charlton Athletic didn’t want to lose the German, and Preston fans were encouraged given how perfectly he fit the bill.
So far, Bauer has been excellent. He and Davies have complemented each other perfectly, making up for each other’s deficiencies whilst bringing great balance to the Preston defence.
Today, Bauer turned 27, and in just a few days time, he’ll face former club Charlton. Having spent four years with the Addicks following a 2015 move from Maritimo, it will be an emotional return to The Valley for him.
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He has though discussed life outside of London, ahead of returning there on Sunday. Transfermarkt have conducted an interview with Bauer, whose only exposure to life in England was living in the capital before heading to Deepdale.
London will have been a huge change for Bauer from Madeira in Portugal, and Preston is another new experience for him. Bauer has though admitted that whilst ‘it’s different in Preston’ compared to life London, it’s perfect for him.
Bauer enjoys being able to go for walks with his family, which wasn’t really possible in London. The German appreciates the quieter life in Lancashire, admitting that he was initially surprised at being recognised in the street in Preston so quickly, having never really been spotted in London.
“That’s right. Preston can not be compared to London,” said Bauer. “The fact that I now have a small family, my daughter is now five and a half months old, fits it very well. Here it is much more rural than in London, here you have more opportunities sometimes to go for a walk with the family. It is much quieter and we feel extremely well. I lived in London for four years and when you go to town you are not really addressed. It’s different in Preston. I’m still fairly new here and that’s why I wondered why it was so fast that people recognise me on the street,” he added.