A few weeks ago it looked like the talk of the potential return of Cameron Archer had finally been put to bed.
After an impressive pre-season with Aston Villa he was handed a new contract and Steven Gerrard suggested he would be used in the Premier League this season.
So far he has been brought off the bench once in Villa’s three league games.
Over the weekend Aston Villa looked close to be signing Ismaila Sarr from Watford. The Senegalese forward was left out of The Hornets game against North End on Saturday after Gerrard’s club had agreed a fee in the region of £25m.
Late on Sunday it emerged that Watford were also looking to sign Cameron Archer and Kortney Hause on loan on top of the transfer fee.
It would have been a blow to North End, as seeing Archer play in the top flight would hurt a lot less than if he was at another Championship side.
However it did make sense, as Watford are likely to be making a strong push for promotion this season.
The move has since fallen through with some suggesting it was down to the payment structure, but Talksport correspondent Alex Croos has said it was Steven Gerrard himself who pulled the plug on the deal after speaking with Sarr.
It means Archer stays at Aston Villa for now, but it has opened up the possibility that he could leave the club on loan again.
Gerrard was non-committal when asked whether Archer would play any part in their Carabao Cup game against Bolton Wanderers. Villa clearly want to bring in another attacker, and it may be best for the striker to go and play elsewhere for another season.
At the start of the summer Peter Ridsdale said the club would match any other offer from a fellow Championship club in their pursuit of the England Under-21 player.
Since then Archer signed a new contract, and will have received a pay rise in doing so. His wage is likely to be more than anyone else in the Preston North End squad so that statement from Ridsdale is no longer relevant really.
Speaking to the Lancashire Evening Post Ryan Lowe has said that he would like to think he would know if Archer was to become available this summer, and as of yet the phone hasn’t rang.
“If I get a phone call saying he’s available then great, if I don’t, I’m not too concerned. I’m not running around, I haven’t been waiting on players,” said Lowe.
“Everyone knows how I feel about Cam. Until my phone goes, from their manager to say that he’s available, I’m taking it as he is not available,” he added.
The transfer window shuts on Thursday 1st September, which doesn’t give Preston much time to bring in the striker they so desperately need.
The Archer situation had been put to bed a good few weeks ago, but now has ever so slightly come alive again. If anything it is unwelcome at this stage.
The chances of Archer coming back are still very, very slim, but it has given fans and perhaps the club hope. The worst thing would be for North End to wait for that phone to ring, with a decision on Archer likely to be a late one and dependent on many other factors at Aston Villa’s end. Other strikers should have been on the shortlist all summer, and some should be a lot further down the line.
Preston need a striker now. One goal in five league games isn’t good enough. We need more firepower, and there should already be irons in the fire.
It’s gone very quiet on that front and with right wing-back targets also heading elsewhere as Brooke Norton-Cuffy joining Rotherham United on loan today, there doesn’t seem to be much else bubbling away – which is a worrying sign.