"We are better" - Blackpool jibe issued as Preston North End eye Nottingham Forest player | OneFootball

The former Bloomfield Road favourite could be about to sign for their Lancashire rivals this week

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Preston North End are set to battle Hull City for former Blackpool man Josh Bowler in the coming days, with current club Nottingham Forest keen to offload the forward.

According to transfer specialist Alan Nixon via his Patreon account, the two Championship sides look set to compete for the winger’s services before the transfer window comes to a close.

The Tricky Trees are said to be willing to listen to offers for the 25-year-old before the end of August, which will see him bring his two-year association with the club to an end.

With the Lilywhites keen to make him theirs before the end of the week, we caught up with Football League World’s North End fan pundit Darren Watson to get his take on the potential deal.

Josh Bowler will give new boss Paul Heckingbottom attacking options at Preston North End

Preston have endured something of a turbulent start to the 2024/25 campaign, with manager Ryan Lowe departing after the first match of the season, before interim boss Mike Marsh followed him out the door after match day two.

Former Sheffield United chief Paul Heckingbottom has been trusted with steering the ship from now on, and got his stewardship off to the perfect start with a 1-0 victory over Luton Town in his first match in charge last weekend.

The good news for those at Deepdale is that the new boss still has time to put his own stamp on the side before the transfer window comes to a close on Friday, with Bowler said to be one of the targets on the list.

Despite failing to feature in a single match for Forest, Bowler still has plenty of pedigree with promising stints at Blackpool and Cardiff City in the Championship, and Watson believes he would be a great addition to the Lancashire side.

The North End fan said: “Hopefully we can add him to our squad, we’ve got a couple of wingers now and it’s that squad depth that we are maybe looking for now, that we didn’t have in other seasons.

“That could play in our favour, having a good addition to the team that Heckingbottom wants, just because if we do get injuries we’ve got players that can cover those areas.

“Last season that was the issue; we had a couple of players out injured and we went on a bit of a dip towards the end of the season, where we missed out on the playoffs and ended up mid-table again.

“With Heckingbottom’s first game in charge against Luton, it was a brilliant atmosphere, brilliant turnout, and I saw Preston turn into a completely different team.”

Preston North End need to put Josh Bowler, Blackpool past behind them

Bowler rose to prominence with some outstanding performances for Preston’s local rivals Blackpool earlier in his career, with the winger terrorising all manner of EFL defences before making the move to the City Ground.

Seven goals and three assists - as well as numerous mazy dribbles - saw the wide man catch the eye in the second tier during the early stages of his career, before his ill-fated move to Forest in the summer of 2022.

Another loan spell back at Bloomfield Road in the 22/23 would have further renewed those hostilities, but despite his past in Tangerine, Watson would happily welcome the mercurial winger to his club with open arms.

He continued: “I think Bowler could be a really good signing if we got him permanently, I think he would add a lot of depth and that extra bit of energy to the squad as well, and it will give the other lads that have come in a bit of competition.

“Being an ex-Blackpool player doesn’t really concern me, Brad Potts used to play for Blackpool and he’s now among one of the Preston favourites now, I love Pottsy and everything he does, he’s a good servant for the club.

“As soon as they put on that white shirt, they seem to forget about Blackpool - they always do, probably because we are better - but I think Josh Bowler would be a brilliant addition to the team.”