Norwich City and Millwall reportedly rivalling Preston North End in transfer race for Premier League talent
Preston North End have been linked with Filip Marschall and face competition from two Championship clubs, according to reports.
The Lancashire Post reported last month that the Lilywhites had expressed an interest in the 22-year-old shot-stopper. Marschall made 46 appearances on loan with Crewe Alexandra last season, following temporary spells at MK Dons and Gateshead earlier in his career. He kept 16 clean sheets for the League Two outfit.
He also penned fresh terms at Villa Park in December, having reportedly been tied down until 2027 prior to that. Preston brought Daniel Iversen back to the club this summer, permanently, to replace the departing Freddie Woodman. But, Marschall is thought to be viewed as a potential, up-and-coming number two.
Fellow Championship interest
Norwich City, meanwhile, have added Dan Grimshaw to their ranks after seeing Angus Gunn depart. The Canaries are believed to be looking at further additions between the sticks, though. Jakub Stolarczyk has been linked in recent days, with a bid reportedly rejected by Leicester City.
North End have made four additions so far with Jordan Thompson, Pol Valentin and Thierry Small all arriving as well as Iversen. Preston expect to make at least four more signings, with two of those strikers. PNE’s other goalkeepers, Dai Cornell (34) and James Pradic (20), are both out of contract in 2026.
City players of the past who could, in their pomp, have helped fix today’s ‘mess’
In lieu of the errant Goulet, Burns ordered the thawing of contemporary Jim Nabors (an ironic twist being that Jim Nabors was very much still alive at the time this episode aired).
However, when I first saw this episode, decades ago, my yellow and green brain tuned into the name Jim Nabors and was tickled by the fact that we had a player in the 1970s known as Jimmy Neighbour, and it felt like a nice unintended Easter egg for fans of City and his other clubs.
City players of the past who could, in their pomp, have helped fix today’s ‘mess’
In lieu of the errant Goulet, Burns ordered the thawing of contemporary Jim Nabors (an ironic twist being that Jim Nabors was very much still alive at the time this episode aired).
So I’m going to give it a go with the current squad at the time of writing, and pick out the players from City past who could, in their pomp, have helped fix what’s becoming a bit of a mess.
Some disclaimers before we begin. I’m only looking to fix the holes in the squad, not replace every player, else it becomes a game of just picking your all-time team, which is not the aim.
Secondly, I won’t just pick the best players we’ve had, but those that are the best fit for what we need. And lastly, I’m counting any former City player as being eligible for our consideration. If you’ve left, retired, or are with us no more, as long as you’ve pulled on the yellow and green, you’re qualified.
The smart money appears to be on Liam Manning opting for a 4-2-3-1, so that’s what I’m going to base my thinking on. It’s a fluid enough system that you can move players around anyway if the need arises.
Goalkeeper
Our first obvious gap is in goal. Based on the names we’ve been linked with for our new number one, we’re looking for a high-quality shot-stopper who is extremely good with the ball at his feet.
The likes of Vladan Kovacevic and Jakub Stolarczyk are just as comfortable switching the ball from side to side and playing out with their feet as they are making flying saves.
That could seem to rule out anything other than modern keepers, as everyone from Bryan Gunn back was able to pick up back passes and very rarely took the liberty of joining in play. However, I’m going to please the older generation and plump for Kevin Keelan.
