Ryan Lowe ruthless again and Preston North End must now make key signing

The phrase about two coming at once tends to relate to buses but on Monday it was Preston North End terminating contracts.

Tom Bayliss' departure was expected. He had been transfer listed, having never really gotten close to the first-team at Deepdale, while a handful of League One clubs had been linked. Shrewsbury Town eventually swooped in and, at the request of the player, his contract at PNE was cancelled one year early to allow him to move on.

That deal made sense for all parties, but North End weren't finished there. LancsLive had reported just over an hour prior, that Josh Earl leaving North End was a possibility. But a six o'clock announcement of his deal being cancelled came as a surprise, before his transfer to Fleetwood Town was subsequently confirmed.

The Cod Army's boss, Scott Brown, is said to have 'really liked' Earl and so Fleetwood got their man. North End not did not demand a fee for him, which they would've been in their right to do - for a player who came through the academy system, played over 70 games for the senior side and was under contract until 2023.

There is a salary cap in the third tier, North End were happy to let Earl go, the player was keen for a new challenge and Town were keen to get him through the door. It's not ideal to lose a homegrown player in such a way, but a straightforward solution which suited all parties was clearly the preferred way to go.

It's not the first time we have seen a no-nonsense approach from Ryan Lowe, is it? He is someone who knows what he wants; it doesn't take him long to figure out who'll fit in and who won't. Jordan Storey was immediately loaned out in January, having been featuring for the first team. Josh Murphy and Izzy Brown were axed before the end of