Do Preston North End have an option to buy FC Basel loan man Liam Millar?

The Canadian international joined on a season-long loan deal in what looks like one of many impressive summer signings for Ryan Lowe’s side, who currently top the Championship table.

Millar was a consistent source of goals and assists for Basel; in 98 total appearances for the Swiss giants, Millar scored 13 and assisted 10 more.

The 23-year-old is yet to make his debut for the Lilywhites, but he could quickly become a fan favourite, and he could really bolster Preston’s promotion hopes this season.

There’s not been a completely clear indication of whether or not Preston have an option to buy. But upon Millar’s arrival, reports in Switzerland (via FLW) claimed that Preston would have an option to buy Millar, for a fixed, undisclosed fee.

So whilst it remains something of a grey area, it would safer to assume that Preston do have an option to buy Millar.

It looks like a very promising signing for Preston with Millar having played an important role for Basel since joining in 2021.

The Canadian may feel he has unfinished business in England, and two years playing with a top flight side in Basel may well have given him the experience he needs to now return to England and show what he’s capable of.

Preston have started the season very well and Lowe may well be eyeing up a debut for Millar in the upcoming game against Plymouth Argyle this weekend.

Kick off is at 3pm at Deepdale on Saturday, with a win able to keep the Lilywhites at the top of the Championship pile.

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After five matches, the Lilywhites were the unexpected leaders of the second tier going into the first international break, winning four of their first five matches of the campaign.

Whilst things are incredibly rose for Ryan Lowe’s side right now and there can’t be any complaints of his squad of players, there have been times where some individuals have drawn the ire of the PNE fanbase.

Let’s look at three players who have tended to split the opinion of supporters due to their performances since they have been at Deepdale.

Once a promising young talent for Liverpool, Woodburn’s career has somewhat stalled in recent years.

Still only 23 years of age, the attacking midfielder made his senior debut for the Reds in November 2016 at the age of 17, and not long after he was a full Wales international.

The future was bright for Woodburn, but loan spells away from the club to teams such as Sheffield United, Oxford and PNE’s bitter rivals Blackpool did not work out.

It was inevitable that following a stint in Scotland with Hearts in 2021-22 that Woodburn would leave Liverpool, but Lowe wanted to offer a chance to the 11-cap international to prove himself.

Woodburn signed a one-year deal for the 2022-23 season and appeared 42 times in all competitions, but just 15 of these were from the start of matches.

He played enough though to trigger a one-year extension to his contract, even though his performances for the most part weren’t entirely great as he did not make a lot of positive impacts in-front of goal.

His standout moment came in a 4-1 drubbing of Blackburn Rovers last December as he tucked away a composed finish, so there are moments of quality, but it is not consistent enough and he does draw a lot of frustration from the concourse.

Following a lengthy pursuit, North End finally landed Ledson’s services in 2018 from Oxford United, but he wasn’t a regular starter in his first two years at Deepdale.

The ex-Everton midfielder’s best year came in 2020-21 when he played 36 times in the Championship and won the club’s Player of the Year award for his committed performances, but he has not always been a regular in the starting 11 since Lowe’s arrival in December 2021.

Some of Ledson’s wayward passing can frustrate fans at time and despite being liked for his hard-hitting tackles sometimes, he perhaps isn’t as well-rounded as other midfield options.

The likes of Ben Whiteman and Ali McCann when fully-fit have jumped ahead of the 26-year-old in the pecking order since they joined over two years ago and have less flaws to their game, but whilst Ledson can split opinion, there’s still a role for him at Deepdale.