With fans crying out for adequate wing-back recruitment, Preston North End have answered the call with the loan signing of Kaine Kesler-Hayden.
The Aston Villa loanee has already spent two temporary spells in the Championship and adds an array of attacking and defensive qualities to the Preston line-up. 15 appearances for Huddersfield Town and most recently, 27 for Plymouth Argyle, have clearly given the 21-year-old a platform to impress his new club.
A quick introduction. 👋🤳#pnefc pic.twitter.com/0wL3yqBsxY
— Preston North End FC (@pnefc) August 7, 2024
Kesler-Hayden has been at his parent club, Villa, since September 2018 and mainly featured in the academy set-up before the chain on loan spells started with Swindon Town in August 2021. As well as this, the wing-back appeared three times from the bench in the Premier League last season, but this accumulated in a mere five minutes of overall game time.
With Liam Millar returning to FC Basel, a huge spark in the Lancashire club’s side is missing; the signing of the Villa youngster will provide much-needed competition for Brad Potts on a fairly vacant right-hand side, while offering a similar profile to the Canadian’s.
Ryan Lowe deploys a counter-attacking 3-4-2-1, and implores his wing-backs to spread the play out wide. With some fan concern over the shoe-horning of midfielders into these seemingly crucial positions, this arrival will undoubtedly settle these complaints. PNE have also been linked to Slavia Praha’s Conrad Wallem in the recent days, who is another wide player preferring the opposite side to Kesler-Hayden.
Delighted to be here for the season can’t wait to get started @pnefc 🔵⚪️ pic.twitter.com/zjc5Ex9pVx
— Kaine Kesler (@KaineKeslerHayd) August 7, 2024
The defender has already taken to X, formerly known as Twitter, to express his delight on signing for the club that resides at Deepdale, on a season-long loan.
Preston have a tough test against Sheffield United on the opening day of the new Championship season and it looks likely that the timing of this signing will let Kesler-Hayden join up for first-team training and get a feel for the squad’s system with a potential bench appearance.
Writer’s View
North End have been crying out for natural options that can play out wide. Millar was excellent last season, but his attacking threat was held back by his defensive duties. Potts, when fit, is a great, versatile option for the right-hand side, but isn’t a natural wing-back either. This signing is perfect for Lowe’s system and his adamance for it.
Kesler-Hayden will be looking to kick on from last season’s performances for Argyle and will be hoping to take Preston to the next level, while also impressing his parent club.
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