League One Charlton Athletic face competition to keep hold of winger Thierry Small as Championship side Preston North End potentially plot a move.
The young winger is out of contract in the summer, but at just 20 years old would require compensation to be paid either through agreement or settled through a tribunal.
The youngster appeared against the second tier side in the FA Cup earlier in the season, impressing manager Paul Heckingbottom. This prompted them to send scouts to watch the player.
Whether or not a move materialises this transfer window or not still remains to be seen. Preston may wait until the summer in the hope of a lower fee. However, according to Alan Nixon the interest is firm.
Charlton’s Season Improving?
Big things were expected for the Addicks this season. Pre-season chat from Nathan Jones suggesting they were targeting signings that were ready to play in the Championship next season demonstrated their confidence.
However, in reality they struggled to get up to pace with the rest of the league and soon found themselves battling towards the bottom.
However, they have steadily shown signs of improvement and been moving up the table. They could well be a late shout for a spot in the play-offs as other sides around them begin to falter.
Small’s impressive rise
Small scored in yesterday’s fixture against Shrewsbury Town to take all three points for Charlton. Despite his young age, he has appeared 27 times for the Addicks this season and been instrumental in the way they play. Although he is arguably more confident on the left he is able and willing to play on the right too meaning his manager can utilise his versatility to fill gaps in the team.
He is confident and performing well so the step up to the Championship will not be too daunting to him.