Preston North End failed to sign Charlton star who is on fire - It's a "kick in the teeth" | OneFootball

Despite a strong start to the campaign for former target Tyreece Campbell, FLW's Preston fan pundit doesn't want to dwell on missing out

One of the most improved players in the Championship so far this season has been Charlton Athletic's Tyreece Campbell.

The 23-year-old has begun to thrive once again in the back-four system that Nathan Jones has reverted to in the Addicks' sophomore year back in the Championship, whereas he lost his way in the wing-back system.

Campbell has already surpassed his goal tally from 45 league games last season inside the opening eight outings, netting his fourth of the campaign, and his fifth in all competitions, in the 3-1 loss against Cardiff City last weekend. However, could this form have been gracing Deepdale?

Indeed, the Charlton academy graduate looked all but set to leave in the summer off the back of a disappointing first season at Championship level. With one year left on his deal, Preston North End were looking to bring him in.

Preston North End fan pundit reacts to Tyreece Campbell near-miss

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Unfortunately for Preston, despite those reports, Campbell would begin the campaign with his current club, and goals in each of his first three games made it a no-brainer for Charlton to tie him down to fresh terms.

The 23-year-old signed a new four-year deal before the transfer window ended, and it's arguable that, while the Lilywhites did well to bring in a top winger on the other side in Stan Mills, they lack that attack-minded winger on the left, which Campbell would have been.

FLW's Preston fan pundit, Darren Watson, expressed some frustration at missing out on someone who has half the goals that his side have scored as a team already this season, but is happy focusing on the squad currently at Deepdale and how to get the best out of them.

"Look, he's a good player, and obviously he's thriving under the system now at Charlton," Darren told FLW. "It's a bit of a kick in the teeth because maybe we could be out of the position we are currently in if we got him.

"But these things happen, and we have to look at the players we've got now, and we do have some really good players.

"That's one thing I'll say to all Preston North End fans: once this new manager comes in to steady the ship, we have a good group of players."

Preston North End fan pundit feels Paul Heckingbottom "wasn't the right man" to develop the squad at Deepdale

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Despite the far-from-ideal start to the season, which sees Preston in the bottom three with just four points from eight games, that shouldn't detract from what has been a summer filled with uncharacteristic ambition in the transfer window at Deepdale.

Over £15 million has been spent on over 10 players this summer to bolster the North End side. For the longest time, Preston fans had become used to their side never spending more than £2 million on one player, so it's understandable that this summer's business got them excited.

Watson doesn't think that a poor start through eight games should dim that excitement, and once the new manager comes in to replace Paul Heckingbottom, who was sacked after the 1-0 home loss against Lincoln City, they'll be able to be more competitive.

"Paul Heckingbottom wasn't the right man to come in and take that team forward," Watson continued.

"Once the new manager comes in, I'm sure we'll get ourselves out of the rut we find ourselves in, because we do have some really good players.

"Stanley Mills has proven he's a player who can get balls into the box and beat a man with ease one-on-one. Johnny Kenny, as well, is getting on the scoresheet and finding his feet. As we saw at QPR at the weekend, he can score goals. So we're looking alright in that sense.

"We just need the new manager to sort ourselves out defensively and not sit back on leads; go and dominate them. We have the players, the talent; we just need the right man to manage them."

Preston North End needed a fresh start — all eyes will be on them after the international break

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There's no doubting Paul Heckingbottom's credentials as a decent Championship manager. However, after last season's almighty slide down the table in 2026, the poor start, despite the financial backing, just outlines that things had gotten a little stale in the dugout.

That being said, Preston's underlying performance data isn't as bad as their actual league position would have you believe. Indeed, the Lilywhites go into the international break sitting 12th in Opta's expected table.

As Watson outlined, it's been defensive mishaps and an inability to see out the leads they do get (as seen at 10-man QPR on Saturday) that have led them to this position at the first break of the season.

All eyes will be on who ends up being the man to succeed Paul Heckingbottom in the dugout at Deepdale. The North End fan pundit has stated that he feels his side can attract a big name for the level, so we'll see if someone such as Steven Gerrard or even Carlos Corberan can be tempted by the job.