Preston North End appointed Ryan Lowe as their new manager earlier this month, with Peter Ridsdale seemingly keen to make a statement.
Preston parted ways with Frankie McAvoy after an inconsistent run of form and a defeat to Blackburn Rovers.
Lowe decided to trade Plymouth Argyle for Preston, angering many fans down in Devon.
In his first game as Preston boss, Lowe claimed a 2-1 win over Barnsley and will be hoping to keep that going moving forward.
The move for Lowe excited Preston fans; a young, up-and-coming manager who plays attractive football is exactly what supporters wanted.
But it seems there was something else behind the move too, with an insight offered from a surprise source.
Sky Sports commentator Gary Weaver has told the Sky Sports EFL Podcast that he spoke to Peter Ridsdale about the Lowe move.
Weaver claims Ridsdale told him that he wanted to snatch a manager from another club to show Preston fans that this wasn’t a cheap option.
Weaver added that Ridsdale was ‘adamant’ that the new manager had to come from another club, showing that North End mean business, with Lowe’s 3-5-2 and tactical approach also valued highly.
“Interestingly, Peter Ridsdale said to me ‘we wanted to get a manager out of a club because we wanted to show that this is not going to be a cheap option’. Ryan Lowe was top of his list in the summer if they weren’t going to stick with Frankie,” said Weaver.
“The style of play was huge for them, the fact that they had recruited for 3-5-2 and Ryan plays that way, that was a big selling point as well. Peter Ridsdale was adamant that they had to get a manager out of a club just to show the fans that this wasn’t going to be a cheap option,” he added.