“I can certainly see the logic” – Preston North End eye Watford transfer: The verdict | OneFootball

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Preston North End have been credited with an interest in Watford striker Andre Gray in recent days.

According to The Sun (May 8, page 59) the Lilywhites are eyeing up a move for the 30-year-old, who is out of contract in the summer.

Gray spent this season on loan with QPR in the Championship, scoring 10 goals and laying on one assist in 28 second-tier appearances.

With that being said, we asked three of our writers here at FLW for their thoughts on a potential move to Deepdale for Gray this summer.

George Dagless

I think it’s potentially a good signing, though it’s hard to predict exactly.

We saw some decent flashes of him at Queens Park Rangers but perhaps not enough or as much as Rangers fans would have been expecting when he signed.

That said, he’s still a talented footballer and I wonder whether him knowing the area based on his time at Burnley might help him rediscover some form and get into a good rhythm.

There’s no doubting that he can be a real threat at Championship level when he is on song and if Ryan Lowe believes he can get him back firing then perhaps it is worth a punt on him.

Quiz: Which club did Preston North End sign these 24 players from in the 2000s?

1 of 24

Paul Parry?

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Billy Mulley

I can certainly see the logic behind this one but I am not entirely sure that Andre Gray is the kind of player who will bolster the squad.

Likely to demand high wages, Gray would appeart to have the ability at Championship level but has been able to see enough game time in recent years to confirm that.

Possessing bags of pace, it is likely that Gray would be seen as an alternative to Cameron Archer, if the Lilywhites are unable to sign the young Villa forward for another season, however, the Watford striker would represent a downgrade.

I think there are better, more cheaper options out there that would help Lowe bolster his attacking options for next year.

That is not to say that Gray could come in and impress, but it is not the way I would go if I was starting somewhat of a rebuild.

Ned Holmes

This is an interesting one.

Andre Gray’s goals per minute ratio this season is impressive but I’ve not been that convinced by his performances for QPR as a whole.

He’s out of contract at Watford and that means Preston could land him on a free transfer but wages are unlikely to be cheap.

That said, as long as the deal is affordable, bringing Gray in to serve as cover and competition for Emil Riis could well be a clever bit of business.

His goalscoring form this season shows that he is capable of making an impact in a bit-part role and that may well be what’s asked of him.