Preston’s decision to release Tyrhys Dolan looked bizarre at the time. Now it looks ridiculous with Tottenham Hotspur interested in signing him.
Dolan was coming through the Preston ranks after stints in the Manchester City and Burnley youth setups.
Considered to be an exciting and skilful talent, Dolan looked to be the kind of prospect Preston have been looking for in their youth ranks.
Yet when it came to a decision on a professional contract, Preston unbelievably let Dolan walk away for nothing.
Blackburn Rovers were more than happy to swoop in with ex-North End defender Ryan Kidd key to Dolan making the move to Ewood Park.
Dolan immediately became a first-team player and even scored against Preston in a 3-0 victory for Rovers last season.
The 20-year-old now has eight goals and six assists in 72 first-team games for Rovers, continuing to make a real impact for our Lancashire rivals.
Dolan has been so good that Premier League clubs are now keen to sign him ahead of the summer transfer window.
90Min claim that Brighton and Hove Albion are currently leading the race to sign Dolan, but Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United and Fulham are keen too.
Brighton want to swap Reda Khadra – currently on loan at Blackburn – for Dolan, but you can’t rule Tottenham or West Ham out of this race.
Within two years, Preston letting Dolan go for absolutely nothing just seems to get worse and worse.
It’s bad enough that Preston struggle to bring through youth prospects, but it’s even worse when it’s an attacker with flair – something North End lack.
Now add in a potential move to a top-six Premier League side and Dolan’s release may go down as one of the club’s worst decisions in some time.