‘Crunch time’ - Paul Heckingbottom on Preston North End transfer prospects
Six days until the window slams shut.
With time running out for Preston North End to strengthen their thin first-team squad, Paul Heckingbottom continues to publicly push for new additions.
After their 4-0 home defeat to Everton which saw them bow out of the Carabao Cup, the PNE boss issued a clear stance on what needs to be done in the coming days.
When asked if he expected any incomings before Saturday’s game at Charlton Athletic, he told the Lancashire Post: “Yeah, but I’ve said that before every game haven't I? We’re at that point now, we'll have to do [business], we’ve got another five, six days.
“So, yeah, we've got a lot to do and we're coming down to that crunch time now.”
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Asked about potentially bringing in loans in the last week of the window, Heckingbottom added: “We've got three spots left for loans, but we need more than that.
“We want to work both markets, we want permanents if we can, we want loans in the other positions where we can't get a permanent. So, yeah, everyone's working hard.
“It's been a challenging window, and we've still got a lot of challenges left ahead of us. We've lost a lot of players, loans have gone back, players who were out of contract and then two of our big players got bought.
“The goalposts have constantly been moving, if you like, in this one, and we have to make sure, like I said, we come out of it as strong as we possibly can.”
He also told BBC Radio Lancashire: “We’ve been close [to deals] for a long, long time now so we’ve got a lot we need to do, we’re looking at five.”
In recent days, PNE have been linked with moves for ex-loanees Cameron Archer and Tom Cannon, as well as former long-serving captain Alan Browne.
On the possibility of bringing back former players, Heckingbottom told Radio Lancashire: “We’re looking at lots of players.
“We lost that many in the summer and lost some important ones during pre-season, that it’s starters we’re looking for.
“This time last year, we’d sort of got the bulk of the squad together and were waiting for those Premier League loans, who could maybe add something a little bit different to the squad.”
Heckingbottom continued: “We’re well short, from the bodies who have gone out.
“The business we have done is really, really good, we’re happy with the players we’ve brought in, but we’ve still got a lot more really important players we need to replace.”