Preston have today tied up their first summer signing, confirming the arrival of defender Patrick Bauer.
We reported on Monday that Bauer was nearing a move to Deepdale, and that’s now been confirmed. Ahead of his Charlton Athletic contract expiring this month, Bauer has signed a three-year deal with North End.
The German defender, 26, has spent a strong four-spell with Charlton, having joined from Maritimo in 2015. A popular figure at The Valley, Bauer’s last touch in a Charlton shirt was the winner against Sunderland in the League One playoff final last month.
With Charlton struggling a little with financing from controversial owner Roland Duchatelet, North End have swooped in. Bauer now bolsters Alex Neil’s options, and looks to be the ideal partner for Ben Davies.
North End fans appear happy with Bauer, but what about Charlton fans? There’s plenty going on at The Valley, with Lee Bowyer performing a U-turn to stay with the club having looked exit-bound earlier this week.
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With Joe Aribo potentially leaving too, Bauer’s exit hasn’t exactly gone down well. Some are wishing him all the best at Deepdale after four years with the Addicks, thanking him for his time in South London.
Others have fallen straight into the ‘teams like Preston’ trap. A number of tweets were sent to North End and Bauer suggesting that the move was everything from a sideways move to a strange decision.
Some think Bauer could have done better, which at least suggests we’ve landed something of a coup. For now though, we can at least have a laugh at the ‘teams like Preston’ stuff we’re so accustomed to seeing now.