Preston had a relatively quiet January window, making just two signings while many around them began to panic and scramble for fresh faces.

In the end, it was just Cameron Archer on loan and Bambo Diaby on a free transfer that entered the doors at Deepdale. Both have since gone on to impress, with the former firing in the goals and the latter now breaking his way into the team due to injuries.

Whilst signing Archer from Villa on a permanent deal is unlikely to happen because of his standing at the Premier League club, Diaby has committed himself to the Lilywhites on a short-term deal until the end of the current season.

Based on his current showings though, PNE would be best served moving quickly and getting the defender signed on for much longer than that.

The 24-year-old has looked strong, quick and exciting in his games at Preston so far. Despite fears over how he would cope being thrust back into competitive football after two years away, the player has thrived and has flourished almost immediately.

He's played only three games for PNE so far, so the data sample is only small but if you have a look at how he has performed, the Lilywhites might not be the only team looking to move for him in summer.

Defensively, he has been almost impossible to beat in the air with a 92.3% success rate for his aerial duels, as per WyScout. He's also won the vast majority of his defensive duels in general and averages 7.5 per 90 to boot.

What's even more impressive though is his ability both on the ball and in getting it forward and helping to start attacks. Diaby has yet to put a foot wrong in terms of his long passes with a 100% success rate (from six passes) and he's also had two successful dribbles so far as well.

The key things to take from Diaby is that he has been solid in every aspect he has been thrown into so far. A ball has come into the box? The defender has dealt with it easily. There's been a ball through to an opposition player? Diaby has intercepted it. Do you need a ball forward to start an attack? The 24-year-old has got you covered. Nobody in space? The defender will take it forward for you.

Granted, it's easy to get carried away considering he's only played in three games so far and it's a very small sample size to judge him off. A more accurate reflection of his ability will come out the more he features but so far, there is a lot to like from a player who many expected might struggle from the off considering his time out of the game.

Instead, he has taken it all in his stride - and if he continues in this fine vein of form, PNE need to tie him down to a much longer deal. Diaby is a great option to have in your backline and might even become a regular starter sooner rather than later.