Preston North End & Nottingham Forest agreement set to prematurely end in January | OneFootball

The Lilywhites are set to end Josh Bowler's unsuccessful loan spell with the club

Preston North End are poised to prematurely end Josh Bowler's loan spell and send the winger back to parent club Nottingham Forest in January.

That's according to a big recent update from The Sun's Alan Nixon, who has claimed via his exclusive Patreon service that the Lilywhites have made a decision on Bowler's immediate future at the club.

It's been a frustrating season for North End, who have won just four times in the Championship and find themselves down in 18th place under the leadership of Paul Heckingbottom.

Though the Lancashire outfit are in no real danger of relegation, they've failed to really kick on and there is a significant disconnect, both on and off-the-pitch, with supporters.

Bowler is one player in particular who will be feeling that frustration, as his somewhat-hotly anticipated move to the club on deadline day simply hasn't worked out and it's now set to be cut short.

As per Nixon's report, Preston are going to let Bowler return to Forest following a disappointing loan spell, in which he's struggled to become a central part of Heckingbottom's immediate plans.

Preston are believed to be interested in acquiring another winger to replace Bowler, and who that is remains to be seen.

While Bowler arrived at Preston with Championship pedigree - predominantly built up from a fruitful stay with rivals Blackpool - supporters were curious as to how he would figure in the plans of a manager who in recent years has mainly utilised a wing-back system with no wingers.

The 25-year-old has made seven appearances and just four starts, where he has failed to contribute a single league goal or assist across 355 minutes of action.

It's been a similar story for fellow summer signing Jeppe Okkels, who was hauled off for Bowler at half-time in his only start for the club to date - all the way back in September against Middlesbrough.

Bowler wasn't even included in the squad for Saturday's afternoon's 2-1 defeat at QPR, which is rather telling of how his loan move to Deepdale has played out.

A potential road block has emerged though in PNE's quest to get rid of Bowler, with the Lancashire Post claiming that Forest do not have a recall option in the loan agreement that was made on deadline day in August.

An option to buy clause in the agreement further complicates matters, but Bowler has recently changed agents, as per the Post, so the winger being moved on to another club next month could be the only way PNE and Forest's agreed deal is terminated.

Josh Bowler, Nottingham Forest return is best for all parties amid Preston North End disappointment

At this stage, it's difficult to feel this isn't the best course of action for all parties.

Bowler, who is approaching his prime age but is now coming off the back of two consecutive unsuccessful loan spells in the Championship following a mixed stay with Cardiff City last term, needs to be playing regular football, and could ideally benefit from finding a permanent home given he's way out of the first-team picture at Forest.

The Reds are flying high in the Premier League and won't be too worried about Bowler, but with his contract up in the summer, they may be keen to recoup what they can of the reported £4 million fee which was shelled out to Blackpool in 2022.

Preston, meanwhile, will naturally be covering some of Bowler's wages and he's also occupying a matchday loan spot.

Considering he's struggled to get a look in and has largely fallen short of catching the eye when he has been able to get on the pitch, there's little upside for North End in terms of keeping him on for the remainder of the season.