While that was a fantastic accomplishment, he needed to find a club where he could continue to grow and play every week at a senior level.
Relationships with then-Villa manager Steven Gerrard were very beneficial to Preston North End manager Ryan Lowe, as the Liverpool great approved Archer’s loan escape to Deepdale in the January 2022 transfer window.
Given that the striker having lived most of his life in the Midlands before temporarily relocating to Lancashire for a half-season, it was unknown how well he would perform.
In addition to being a new environment for Archer, this was also his first time participating in the Championship. Having arrived in January, the forward needed to make an
This is what he was able to do and he certainly put himself in the shop window ahead of the summer, after scoring seven goals in 20 league appearances for the Lilywhites.
Retained by Villa through the first part of the 2022–2023 season, a January decision was then required. Before reevaluating his future, the Premier League team might have retained him through the end of the current campaign.
However, many teams, notably his previous loan team Preston, were eager to tempt him away from Villa Park for a short while.
He might have easily gone back to Deepdale, where he had played and flourished before.
However, Archer took on a new challenge at Middlesbrough, where he would play with Michael Carrick for the duration of the 2022–2023 season.
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