Preston North End are set to offer 8 first team players new contracts

Following the announcement of Will Keane’s one-year extension, Preston North End’s roster of players without contracts for the summer has shrunk by one.

However, eight players for the Lilywhites are still expected to play a significant role in the first squad this season. Along with them, teenage players Josh Seary (on loan at Larne), Kian Taylor, Kitt Nelson, and Finlay Cross-Adair (on loan at Prescot Cables) are also under contract till the summer of 2020, as is player-coach Patrick Bauer.

Freddie Woodman

Next up are Tommy Davis, Cole McGhee, Kaedyn Kamara, and Kacper Pasiek, all first-year professionals. However, in this instance, we examine the eight contract scenarios that will be highlighted as the campaign goes on. Where do the players stand with Paul Heckingbottom as their new manager to impress?
It will be interesting to watch what happens to the top spot in North End. He is still unquestionably the Lilywhites’ top pick, and that will stay the same for the duration of the 2024–2025 campaign—that is, if he sticks around past January and no other candidates emerge. After winning Player of the Year in his debut season with PNE, Woodman’s 2023–24 campaign was hit and miss. Speaking last week, he seemed enthusiastic about the future under Paul Heckingbottom. It is going to mainly rely on the goals that London-born Woodman has set for himself. Naturally, depending on how his season plays out, it’s not impossible that North End will try to find a replacement for him. After a challenging afternoon at Oxford United, Preston’s current goal is to restore the confidence of their star player and get him back to his peak.

Jordan Storey

The centre back, who was loaned to Sheffield Wednesday in 2021–2022, remarkably made a comeback to the starting lineup at PNE. The 27-year-old Storey is a reliable player who should easily make 200 appearances for Preston this season. Although he is just entering his prime, the early indications suggest that this campaign, led by Heckingbottom, will put him to the test. Storey has assumed responsibility for taking the ball and playing at right centre-back, albeit at a somewhat higher position. It remains to be seen if the manager finds Storey suitable for that post. Of course, he may play centre defence or form a partnership with another centre defender. This year might make or ruin it.

Liam Lindsay

For the past two seasons, the large Scot has established himself as a staple in the middle of defence for North End XI. He might consider the remainder of this campaign to be more of a test for the reasons mentioned above. Lindsay may have terrible days from time to time, but over the past few years, he has been among the most reliable players. The 28-year-old may believe he is headed for a new deal and has an abundance of bank credit, but with a new manager in the building, it will have to be earned.

Kian Best

The teenager made his debut appearance in the first team and was called up to the England Under-19 squad for the first time last season. For Best, everything occurred very fast, and he is now trying to push his way into Heckingbottom’s group. After Greg Cunningham’s departure, Hughes and the left centre-back position appear to be the most likely paths to the team. Even though Best still has stripes to earn on the Championship stage, it would make sense for PNE to lock him down to a longer contract given there has been some uncertainty about the defender on a few occasions.

Ryan Ledson

Deepdale’s top 18 players are used to facing tough competition in the midfield, and this season is no exception. This is the Liverpudlian’s seventh season playing for Preston, similar to Hughes’. Ledson has been a consistent starter for the past four years in particular, but you get the impression that the decision about his contract will be made solely on the results of this campaign. The midfield player has obviously had to prove people wrong during his time at Deepdale, and it looks like he enjoys a challenge.

Duane Holmes

As things stand, another 50/50 one. Following his signing last summer, Holmes had a significant early influence. He was one of PNE’s most impressive players during the opening four games, but for the rest of the season, he was in and out of the starting lineup. Along with Josh Bowler and Jeppe Okkels, two recent additions, he is competing with Mads Frokjaer and Stefan Thordarson for a spot in the offensive midfield. At 29 years old, Holmes is a dangerous player on his day and will feel like an experienced head in camp. However, he will need to prove himself to the team.

Robbie Brady

Despite the team’s late-season troubles, the Irishman performed admirably to complete the 2023–24 campaign and finally win praise from the PNE supporters. Brady’s two-year contract was questioned in the summer of 2022, primarily because of his history of injuries. To his credit, though, he has maintained his physical condition and made himself available. Brady, who turns 33 in January, will face opposition this season from Kaine Kesler-Hayden and Okkels along the left wing. However, Heckingbottom’s decision to turn to him last weekend will have given him more confidence, and Brady is still active on the global scene. There’s no reason to hasten his PNE contract, but it wouldn’t be shocking if this is his last one season.