Ryan Lowe has indicated that Preston North End will only be signing two players at the absolute maximum during the January window.
North End still have a couple of games before heading into 2023, but the attention is naturally turning towards the transfer flurry next month.
PNE only made two signings in January of this year, bringing in Cameron Archer on loan and Bambo Diaby on a free transfer.
That was a far cry from the January of 2021, when PNE brought in eight new signings in a rarely-seen mid-season rebuild.
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So what can we expect this time around?
PNE’s budget won’t be huge and we’re not expecting permanent signings to be made in January.
Loans are likely to be the route for North End, especially with funds needed for a retooling job in the summer.
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Yet with North End in touching distance of the Championship playoffs, this also feels like a time for some quality recruits.
Finding that balance between adding quality and managing the budget responsibly is always difficult for North End.
Lowe has now commented on the January window and outlined his plans for his third transfer window as PNE boss.
Lowe has told the Lancashire Post that there will be ‘two players coming in maximum’.
The North End boss added that those players don’t have to be young, but just need to be good players that can help North End.
So where could PNE look to make those two signings?
The first thought is right wing back.
Wing backs are vital to Lowe’s approach but he hasn’t quite had a natural right-sided option throughout his tenure in charge.
Brad Potts has been doing a fine job there, but adding a natural option will remain a key priority for Lowe after missing out on a couple of targets over the summer.
The other player is likely to be an attacker, but that doesn’t necessarily mean a striker.
Sure, we would all love to see Cameron Archer return to North End for another loan spell in 2023.
Yet with Lowe also liking playing in a 3-4-2-1 shape, an attacking addition could be a versatile attacking threat who can play out wide, up top and off the striker.
It would be a surprise to see North End chase signings in other areas right now, and a couple of loan signings could be the difference between mid-table and a play-off place.