Preston North End could yet see an outgoing this January transfer window, with Echo Live in Ireland reporting that Adam O’Reilly is a wanted man.
It seemed as though the transfer dealings might be slowing down at the back end of this window for PNE but it appears the midfielder could yet end up out of the exit door.
O’Reilly has struggled to get onto the field for the Lilywhites and has had to head out on loan in search of first-team football. It has ultimately led to boss Ryan Lowe announcing that the youngster would be made available for sale this month but so far, there have been no buyers.
However, it appears there could be a busy week on the cards for the 21-year-old. Not only are Cork City, Dundalk, St Patrick’s Athletic, Derry City and Shamrock Rovers all weighing up bids to take him back to Ireland but there is reported interest from the EFL too. Several League One and Two sides are believed to be mulling up potential bids that would keep O’Reilly in the country and there is even a bid from Scotland.
O’Reilly has certainly struggled to get going in England and that comes down to a lack of action with North End. It seemed that he may eventually work his way into the first-team picture but with the Lilywhites heavily stacked in the midfield area, he has been limited to just one league outing during his time with us.
With the player now up for sale – and the interest racking up – he could now seemingly be sent out on a permanent basis.
Fan View
As a North End fan, it is somewhat sad to see Adam O’Reilly leave without ever really making a mark. It’s unsurprising but it is still a shame for both player and club.
He always looked like he had the potential to be a decent enough talent with us and the work he has put in away on loan has suggested there is a solid and technical player in there. The issue is, with Ryan Lowe and Alex Neil always being heavily stocked in the centre of the field, there has simply been no room for him to get gametime.
It isn’t likely that he would ever be able to unseat Ali McCann, Ben Whiteman, Ryan Ledson, Alan Browne or Daniel Johnson for one of our current midfield spots and it means that if he did return to Deepdale, he would have to spend time either on the bench or out of the squad entirely.
It is the best move for O’Reilly then if he does leave permanently to really get his career going. He’s proven he can do the business in the League of Ireland and he could probably do a job in the EFL currently too. It’ll be interesting then to see where he ends up and how he performs.