Preston North End key man wants to see one thing after signing new contract

Ben Whiteman might've surprised some supporters by signing a new contract, but he insists leaving Preston North End was never on his mind.

The number four was set to see his deal expire this summer, but put pen-to-paper on a 'long term' contract ahead of last weekend's trip to Millwall. Whiteman has surpassed three years at Deepdale and admits it's flown by so far. But the 27-year-old is not someone who wants to coast - one conversation with the midfielder would prove that quite quickly.

Whiteman takes pride in his work, sets high standards and is driven to succeed. He is also a keen student of the game, always looking to learn and wanting to understand the game in detail. This was an important contract for him to sign and therefore Whiteman needed to feel a sufficient level of ambition was within the club. But what does that look like, for a club who will never go and spend millions and millions on new recruits?

"Obviously, if you look at the likes of Luton Town - they are a prime example of not having the biggest budget but climbing through the divisions really well," said Whiteman. "Ambition can be in different ways and it can go the other way, where you spend too much money and sign the wrong characters. I think the thing for us is that performances on the pitch have to improve - there is no denying that. That comes from the players as well."

Whiteman believes his 'football brain' helps him week-in-week-out on the pitch, even more so over the festive period when manager Ryan Lowe used him in an advanced role. Having operated as a number four for most of his Preston career, it was something new to take in his stride. The midfielder welcomed the challenge and it is those moments where his level of interest in the sport comes to his aid.

"It was obviously a little bit different," said Whiteman. "But, I think I know the game quite well and the Leeds game, for me, was making unselfish runs to get Liam Millar on the ball. I think he did that against Archie Gray really well and I quite enjoyed it to be honest. Me and Macca have got a good relationship in there anyway; if he wants to go up then we swap. It is just knowing the game really and I think I do. I love football. I think my family would be the first ones to admit that.

"I love watching football and everything about it really. It's learning off the best teams and managers in the world, then trying to take it into training and having those constructive conversations with people. I think we have got that here, where lads do watch a lot of football and it's a great thing to speak about. You will obviously have some who aren't and you are going to have that in a dressing room, but it is what it is."

One thing Whiteman said when he came to North End - during those strange Covid times - was that he had felt ready to step up to Championship level for around a year. With plenty of second tier experience now under his belt, how does Whiteman regard himself as a player at present?

"Yeah, I feel I've sort of established myself in the division," said Whiteman. "Like I say, I am an ambitious person and you do want to kick on and see where you can take it. I wouldn't have signed here, without that ambition shown from the club and I think that will happen. But, we as players need to take as much responsibility on the pitch as well."