Preston appear to be on the brink of a new era with American businessman Chris Kirchner moving ever closer to a takeover of the club.
Kirchner has been showing a real interest in Preston in recent weeks, even attending the 0-0 draw with Huddersfield Town.
Lancs Live now claim that Kirchner is closing in on a deal to purchase Preston having shown the funds to get a deal done.
Kirchner is seemingly bringing Garry Cook and Paul Stretford on board as part of the deal, two men with vast experience in football.
Having missed out on buying Derby County, it looks like Kirchner is on the verge of making his way into football.
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Having Cook and Stretford should help, but no matter what the plans for North End are moving forward, we have to urge the seemingly inbound regime to keep Ryan Lowe.
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It’s unclear what the plans are for Kirchner and co, and it’s natural for new owners to want their own men in charge.
In the case of Lowe though, we would urge Preston’s potential new owners to resist any temptation to make a managerial change.
Firstly, Lowe has completely changed the energy around Preston.
Before Lowe’s arrival, fans were disconnected from the team, the football was stale and the mood around the club was pretty downbeat.
Lowe has come in with great positivity and an attractive brand of football, getting North End on the right track.
Four wins in 13 league games under Lowe doesn’t sound all that great, but Preston have lost just twice in that run.
Lowe came into the job in the middle of the season and hasn’t had time to mould the squad into his own yet.
With backing this summer, we have seen more than positive signs that Lowe can turn Preston into a real threat for the top six.
Lowe has immediately connected with fans and must be kept in the job to continue his fine work to date.
This may not even be a thought in Kirchner’s mind, but Hull City should be a cautionary tale.
The Tigers were recently taken over by Turkish media mogul Acun Ilicali, who immediately sacked Grant McCann and replaced him with Shota Arveladze.
Before McCann’s sacking, Hull has won six games in 11, alleviating any real fears of a relegation battle.
Since bringing in Arveladze, Hull have claimed just one win in seven, losing four times along the way.
It’s still unlikely that Hull will be dragged into the bottom three as they sit 13 points clear of the bottom three, but this run of form has to be a concern.
Lowe has more than earned the chance to be the man leading Preston into this new era, and we certainly hope he is backed by the inbound regime.