**With a week until the dreaded deadline, clubs will start to scramble and panic with their transfer strategy (or lack there of).**
PNE are one of those prospecting clubs looking to get a lot of business over there line, as four bodies have been linked with a move to Lancashire.
One of them being Zach Abbott of [Nottingham Forest](https://vitalfootball.co.uk/vital-nottingham-forest/), the centre-back has been linked with a loan move to Preston North End with the club hoping to strengthen their defensive options.
The club’s current options in Jordan Storey and Liam Lindsay have proven to be catastrophic in the middle of the defence so far in the opening two games.
Defensive errors aplenty against Bolton and Wolves and a lack of accountability and thought going into every challenge.
With Paul Heckingbottom switching to a back four this season, the club is in dire need of centre-backs comfortable in switching between the four and ‘Hecky’s’ conventional back five.
The recruitment team seem adamant on the 20-year old, who started five out of seven games he played for Forest in the Europa League last season.
Helping the double Champions League winners to the semi-final, he’s garnered a lot of attention in his young senior career, with [Millwall](https://vitalfootball.co.uk/vital-millwall/) reportedly looking at him.
Comfortable playing in a back four, he’s also composed when it comes to flexible tactical changes.
Primarily a right-sided centre-half, he can also play right-back albeit a more defensive minded option.
Abbott is a composed ball-playing defender who is also aggressive in his defensive approach.
In this New York Times article, Abbott speaks about the B Team’s tactical approach and how that has benefited his career, with Warren Joyce promoting an aggressive, front-footed, one-on-one instruction to his players.
This has helped craft the young defenders ability stylistically, earning him first team call-ups and impressing so much, he started the F.A. Cup semi-final against Manchester City in April 2025.
Although losing that game 2-0, he would feature regularly in the club’s Europa League campaign as they went to reach the semi-finals, getting knocked out by eventual winners Aston Villa.
Abbott is highly rated at the City Ground, so they’d rather keep him, meaning PNE we’ll have to settle for a loan move.
He’s also been linked with a move to Watford and a host of unnamed Championship clubs, giving North End fierce competition over his services.
If Preston can get this deal over the line, you have to give credit to higher ups, convincing a hotly-tipped and good quality centre back to join a side who haven’t had a great start is no easy task.