Preston were fairly quiet in the winter transfer window, signing only two players for the entirety of the month.

Only one of those two has actually featured in competitive action for PNE so far, with that man being Cameron Archer who has fired the goals in at will.

The other is Bambo Diaby, who has been out of action after serving a ban during his time at Barnsley. It left him with no club and after bringing him in on a trial basis, the Lilywhites liked what they saw and added him to their team.

 

 

The club's supporters have already taken to him despite his lack of first-team action and after finally penning a more permanent arrangement with the club in January, he has now been handed his first 'start' for the club since his move.

That came for the club's reserve side in a Central League fixture in midweek - and if the defender wanted to impress his new employers and their fans, he has gone the right way about doing it. Looking solid at the back, he also chipped in with a goal at the other end of the field.

After such an electric start for the player, he has now taken to Twitter to express his joy at playing for the Lilywhites and claimed he is 'back in action' alongside a lion emoji.

It's all positive signs from the player in terms of his willingness to play, learn and get involved with the starting eleven. With showings like the one in midweek, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him in action for the first-team in the not too distant future.

The Verdict

Bambo Diaby looks like he could be the steal of the winter window, with the defender signing on a free transfer and yet looking like a real talent.

Granted, it has been a while since he has played in the Championship and it might take him a while to re-adapt and get used to it. Throw in the fact that the Central League is vastly different to the second tier and he might not get to grips with it quite as easily as he and the club would like.

Diaby though looked sharp for Barnsley before his ban, has had nothing but praise during his time at Deepdale on a trial basis and has now been penned on a permanent deal - so Ryan Lowe clearly saw something that he liked. So do the supporters, who have already taken to the defender despite him not yet playing for the first-team.

He certainly has the backing of the club and their fans and it might not be long until we see him thrive in the Championship again.