The transfer window may have shut, but that doesn’t mean that clubs have stopped signing players.
Free agents are still able to move on, with Thursday’s deadline only for permanent and loan incomings for the top two tiers in England.
One such free agent is striker Fraizer Campbell, who has been hunting a new club this summer. The 31-year-old saw his Hull City contract expire in June, and he’s been training with non-league side Brighouse Town.
That was close to Campbell’s hometown of Huddersfield, and enabled him to keep fit ahead of signing for a new club – but it has also allowed him to engineer his return home.
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On Monday, Huddersfield Town confirmed the signing of Campbell. The veteran forward has penned a two-year deal with the Terriers, heading ‘home’ in an emotional move to his local side.
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Campbell will hope that playing for his hometown club leads to great success this season, and his move means he can be taken out of Preston transfer discussions once and for all.
We reported earlier this month that Preston were considering a move for Campbell, with Alex Neil keen to bolster his attack. We were told that Campbell’s wages were an issue, and a compromise in terms of a signing-on fee wasn’t met.
Campbell has instead joined Huddersfield, and whilst they’re not big spenders, they at least have recent Premier League money in the bank to meet his demands. Sadly, that’s a problem North End have met a number of times in recent years.
A proven Championship goalscorer having found the net 12 times last term, Campbell could have been a smart addition at Deepdale, especially on a free transfer. It’s unclear whether PNE revisited Campbell in recent days, but a move ‘home’ was always appealing.
However, North End were probably wise not to shatter the wage structure for a 31-year-old; that’s the kind of decision that’s landed us in trouble in the past. Preston will at least hope Campbell doesn’t come back to haunt them with goals this season, starting with November’s meeting between the two sides.