Many Preston fans point to the departure of Tony Scholes as a major moment in the club’s recent history – and now he’s set for a huge job.
Scholes joined North End back in 1996 and was chief executive by the end of the 1998-99 season.
Scholes was just 34 at the time, but was seen as a major part of the club’s future.
With chairman Bryan Gray at the helm, Scholes as chief executive and David Moyes as manager, Preston had major upward mobility.
Preston were promoted to the second tier in 2000, but that era of the club’s history began to fall apart.
Gray resigned as Preston chairman in 2001. Come March 2002, Moyes had left Preston for Everton.
Just months later, Scholes completed the exodus by resigning as chief executive. For many fans, losing Gray, Moyes and Scholes so quickly was a colossal blow.
Scholes moved on to Stoke City in 2004, playing an instrumental role in Stoke’s promotion and years in the Premier League.
The Potters have now confirmed that Scholes is leaving them after 17 years at the club.
The reason for Scholes’ departure is that he has a huge new job lined up.
The Athletic report that Scholes has agreed to become the Premier League’s chief football officer from January 2022.
Scholes will be replacing Richard Garlick, who left a similar role in order to join Arsenal earlier in 2021.
It’s great that Preston played a key role in Scholes’ rise, but you just have to wonder where North End would be if he had stuck around a little longer.