Aston Villa winger Andre Green has sealed a loan move up north to Lancashire side Preston North End for the 2019/20 season.
Green, who came through Aston Villa's youth academy, went out on loan to League One side Portsmouth last season, a move which was eventually cut short after being recalled by Villa.
Even though Green went on to play a part in the playoff final against Derby County last season, Green's short term future at Villa Park is looking bleak. The signings of wingers Jota, Anwar El-Ghazi and Trezeguet have frozen the 21-year-old out of the first team.
This signing by Preston will be seen as a short-term replacement for fellow winger Callum Robinson, who joined newly-promoted Premier League side Sheffield United for a then-club record fee for the Blades.
Former Charlton captain Patrick Bauer and veteran striker David Nugent have also joined the club in this window, much to the delight of manager Alex Neil who will also be pleased with this loan signing of the Aston Villa winger.
Here are three reasons why Preston's deal for Green is a massive coup for the Lilywhites after recently sealing this loan signing.
Experience of winning promotion
Even though Green did not play a regular part in Aston Villa's promotion-winning campaign last season, he will have been in the first team camp supporting his teammates to get to that stage and will know the mental strength that it took to win the playoff final.
At 21, having this experience is very useful to have and can only be an advantage for Preston North End, who will be looking to improve on their 14th place finish in the last campaign.
Preston were in the top half at times last season after good performances under Alex Neil. Will the signing of Andre Green help the club to retain a top-half Championship place this season? They may even get a sight of the playoffs if they perform consistently enough.
Young and hungry to succeed
Even though Green is currently frozen out of the first team at Villa Park, he will know the feeling of putting on that claret and blue jersey whilst playing in important games. This is a feeling he will want to experience again. This time, he'll want to make an impact in the Premier League.
The quality of wingers that his parent club now has will give Green the motivation and hunger to succeed at Preston North End, something that all parties can benefit majorly from. Aston Villa fans will also be eager to see him do well, being brought through the club's academy.
He may have Jota, Anwar El-Ghazi and Trezeguet all to beat if he wants to regain an important role in the first-team squad at Villa following this upcoming season. An impressive loan spell in the Championship may just do that if one or two of those individuals do not perform up to expectations.
Allows Preston to rebuild in other areas
The fact that this signing is a loan makes this a very cheap signing for Preston North End, who received a sizeable fee for Callum Robinson from Sheffield United. Some fans across the second tier may be asking: why didn't they go out and buy a permanent replacement with the money they received?
However, this money could also be invested in other areas of the team, something that Preston will be able to do considering this sale will boost their Financial Fair Play finances.
Two or three shrewd signings with the Robinson money between now and the closure of the transfer window could see the Lancashire side do very well this season. This is not forgetting that the club could use this money to pump into their academy or infrastructure.