This article is part of Football League World's 'Regular Punter' series, where we gather original opinions from select, passionate fans of the clubs concerned on matters surrounding their team and share them with a wider audience…

It has recently been reported by The Sun on Sunday (17/11, page 67) that AFC Bournemouth have registered their interest in signing Preston North End defender Ben Davies ahead of the January transfer window.

The 24-year-old has been hugely impressive for Alex Neil's side so far this season, and he'll be wanting to build on those performances as this year's league campaign progresses.

But with North End flying high in second place in the Championship, it won't come as a surprise to see Davies attracting interest from the Premier League heading into the New Year.

Football League World's Preston fan pundit Emily Cardwell made a somewhat surprising admission when it came to hearing of Bournemouth's interest, and felt that Davies' development could be best served by staying at Deepdale, with Preston in a strong position heading into the festive period this term.

"It is a possibility that Ben Davies could leave the club in January. If a club like Bournemouth, who are already in the Premier League, can show enough interest, it would be hard to deny such a young talented player the chance to develop his career to progress into the Premier League.

"However, Bournemouth in stature are no bigger club than Preston currently are. He has been at Preston since the age of 11, and currently has the chance to help his home club obtain promotion to the Premier League. In addition, why would Ben Davies want to go to Bournemouth, when bigger clubs have also shown an interest?"

Cardwell went on to outline what attributes Davies brings to the Preston team, and labelled him as a 'top Championship defender'.

"The past couple of seasons he has developed and matured into a top Championship defender. His assets are numerous. He plays with a calming influence and has a cultured left foot, which is a rarity amongst central defenders.

"He is fearless in the face of any tackle and is willing to put his body on the line. His ability to read the game places him in positions to prevent many goal scoring opportunities."

The regular punter went on to admit that she is unsure as to whether Davies is capable of adjusting to the demands of top-flight football on a regular basis, and questioned whether he would be able to cope when coming up against some of the best strikers in the world.

"Ben Davies’ ability has been proven at Championship level. The step up to the Premier League is reachable with the correct support and coaching. It is clear that Alex Neil’s guidance has helped him so far within his career, hence the interest now being shown from premier league clubs.

"In my opinion, Davies needs to continue to use the club's current form to build a bigger platform for himself in order to be successful within the Premier League. Currently, I am unsure whether he can match the current ability of star strikers from clubs like Liverpool and Manchester City, but it is achievable."