West Brom and Norwich City must have clear transfer envy involving Aston Villa | OneFootball

Norwich City and West Bromwich Albion will be massively envious of Preston North End over the performances of Lewis Dobbin.

As Preston North End continue to fly high in the Championship and look as though they could actually really challenge for promotion to the Premier League in the second-half of this season, one player in particular will be being viewed with envy by Championship rivals West Bromwich Albion and Norwich City.

Having spent the first-half of last season on loan at West Brom from Midlands rivals Aston Villa, before being shipped to Norwich in the second half of the campaign, Lewis Dobbin couldn’t break in from the fringes at The Hawthorns, but he did somewhat impress at Carrow Road.

However, the former Everton youngster has found a new home at Deepdale and, under the management of Paul Heckingbottom, he is really thriving as a focal point in the final third of a legitimate promotion challenger in the second-tier.

After slipping away badly in the second half of last season, PNE managed to avoid relegation on the final day of the campaign with a 2-2 draw at Ashton Gate against Bristol City.

Over the summer, with Heckingbottom backed by the club, Preston instigated an intriguing summer transfer recruitment plan which involved the arrivals of some sharp loanees, such as Alfie Devine from Tottenham Hotspur, Harrison Armstrong from Everton and Daniel Jebbison from AFC Bournemouth.

All three of them performed very well, with Devine in particular starring in the middle of the park, but Dobbin, too, has excelled, way beyond what he showed with the Baggies and the Canaries last season.

Lewis Dobbin struggled at West Brom but less so at Norwich City

In the first-half of last season, with West Brom coached by Carlos Corberan, who departed for Valencia on Christmas Eve, versatile attacker Dobbin struggled to make his mark in the starting 11.

After 13 substitute appearances in the opening 17 games of the campaign, Dobbin was finally given a start, ironically against Preston, in late-November, before being an unused substitute once again just days later.

Dobbin would play just three more times for Albion before his season-long loan was prematurely ended just a couple of days into the January transfer window, instead switching to Norwich.

Almost immediately, being trusted in the first 11 by Johannes Hoff Thorup, Dobbin found some form with a couple of goals in just seven initial starts for the Canaries, as he began to find his feet at Carrow Road.

However, his eighth start saw him forced off due to injury midway through the first-half against Blackburn Rovers due to a calf injury, ruling him out of the rest of the campaign.

It was a frustrating injury for Dobbin and for Norwich, but the youngster had shown real promise and so Norwich confirmed they had re-entered into negotiations with Villa over the extension of his temporary stay in Norfolk.

For whatever reason, Dobbin did not return to East Anglia and, given the promise he showed that he is now delivering on, that will be of immense frustration to City supporters.

Lewis Dobbin is showing real quality at Preston North End

In a Preston North End side that play quite a defensive style of football, seeking to control the opposition and manage the game, under the management of Heckingbottom, the attackers have to really be on point and efficient in a low percentage encounter.

Lewis Dobbin is managing to do that with real effectiveness in the final third, making himself one of the signings of the season for a team punching way above their weight.

Only fellow loanee Jebbison has scored more goals than Dobbin in the Championship so far for Preston, with the Aston Villa loanee having also provided three more assists than any North End player so far this season.

In the final third, at the real pointy end, Dobbin is finding an effectiveness that is the envy of most sides in the division, but especially for West Brom and Norwich, who have significantly underperformed.

West Brom lack much thrust in the final third, becoming way too stodgy under Ryan Mason, especially following the sale of Tom Fellows, while Norwich lack much cohesion at either end of the pitch, but especially in terms of attacking consistency.

Dobbin is providing a real threat in the final third while also proving crucial in carrying the ball forward, which is imperative for a low block, with the second most successful dribbles in the PNE squad.

A player underwhelming at one or two loans before bursting into life elsewhere is a well-told tale, but it won’t make it any better for West Brom and Norwich fans to see what they have missed out on in the development of 22-year-old Dobbin.