According to Football Insider’s Pete O’Rourke, Preston are in talks to re-sign Jordan Hugill from West Ham United.
North End are on the verge of bringing one striker back to Deepdale in David Nugent. However, it now seems that the same could happen with Hugill.
Hugill only left Preston for West Ham in January 2018, completing a big-money move. After 30 goals in 114 games for North End, Hugill earned his big Premier League move.
He left with the best wishes of most fans, as he had gone from being a barman in Middlesbrough and playing non-league football to the top flight.
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Sadly, his move to West Ham hasn’t really worked out. He’s only ever made three first-team appearances for the Hammers, and spent last season at Middlesbrough. Now back at West Ham, he has been left behind from their pre-season trip to Asia.
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Rumours about a Preston return have been swirling for weeks now, and today’s news is a major development. It’s claimed that both teams believe an agreement will be reached for the 27-year-old to make a permanent return to Deepdale.
North End may well choose to invest the cash from Callum Robinson’s move to Sheffield United in Hugill. We’re at least in a better position to do a deal financially than we were a week ago.
Hugill’s wages will be a concern, and if true, a permanent move is likely to be a club record. Alex Neil certainly loved Hugill in 2017, and he would surely take over as North End’s first-choice striker again.
Yet with Nugent arriving, North End’s attack could be a little crowded. Seani Maguire, Louis Moult and Jayden Stockley are all in the mix too, and there’s no way we’d carry all four and add Hugill in.
We may see Maguire move out to the left, as he did in 2017 when Hugill led the line. The pair worked well together in that system, whilst Moult may find himself the odd man out if Hugill does return.