At this time of year, all eyes are on new players, and Preston North End has welcomed two this season: Sam Greenwood and Stefan Teitur Thordarson.
The Lilywhites’ pursuit of defensive and wide players continues; neither director Peter Ridsdale nor manager Ryan Lowe have ruled out the possibility of adding a striker. Exits frequently offset new hires, but this summer, no one with a contract has left Deepdale. However, who knows who might go soon, either temporarily or permanently?
Layton Stewart
The 21-year-old striker has been working hard over the summer, training solo abroad before the start of pre-season. Last summer, Stewart signed a three-year deal at Deepdale. His first year at the club saw him make 16 appearances, all from the bench. It was a season of training, learning and waiting for the centre-forward. Now, with all of that under his belt, he will want to get on the pitch more regularly and score some goals.
With three experienced attackers providing competition, there may not be much of an opportunity to do that at Preston, in which case a loan move could be wise. Back in January, there was discussion about that, but Stewart wanted to stay, and North End decided to keep him on staff in light of a few injuries. It’s critical that the striker makes development this year for everyone. it’s excellent if he can fit it into a PNE shirt, which is definitely his goal. A League One loan would make sense if not.
Patrick Bauer
It’s public knowledge that the German defender isn’t in the manager’s plan, though he did go away to Spain for the pre-season camp. Bauer, 31, was thought to be out of contract this summer but it turned out he had triggered another year at Preston. The Lilywhites are open to offers for the experienced centre-back, but finding him another club has evidently been a challenge.
Bauer is a no-nonsense player, who’s had a tough couple of years. Once a regular presence in the heart of defence, the German has been on the fringes of it for the last two seasons. Preston could explore a loan, but wage contribution – for any lower league clubs – could prove a sticking point.
Noah Mawene
The 19-year-old made seven first team appearances in his first year as a professional at PNE. Like with Stewart, he will now be looking to improve this season. All of a sudden, the Lilywhites have a stacked midfield department – to the point where it is tough to see Mawene featuring much. Of course, he will be determined to still force his way into the manager’s thinking – the youngster, by all accounts, is an outstanding trainer.
But, the reality is that Mawene has plenty of senior competition now: Ben Whiteman, Ali McCann, Mads Frokjaer, Duane Holmes, Ryan Ledson, Stefan Teitur Thordarson and Sam Greenwood. It might be ideal for the midfielder to go and play 20+ games in the EFL, over another season of training and making the odd appearance.
