Legendary former defender highlights need for investment at PNE but praises Hemmings Family
Mark Lawrenson believes it’s getting harder and harder for clubs like Preston North End to be successful in the Championship
Legendary former defender Mark Lawrenson admits it probably needs fresh investment to take North End to the next level.
But the Preston-born defender, who went on to enjoy a stellar career at the highest level with Liverpool in the 1980s, insists nothing should detract from the immeasurable support the late Trevor Hemmings and his family have provided the club over the past 16 years.
PNE have been the subject of intense takeover speculation this summer involving American-born Saudi businessman Amr Zedan.
It was in January when the Hemmings Family revealed that they had been in discussions over selling the club to the 51-year-old billionaire.
Zedan was spotted in the crowd for some games at Deepdale and it appeared only a matter of time before a takeover would be launched.
While speculation intensified during the early close season, talk of a takeover has quietened in recent weeks, although that is not to say discussions are not continuing in the background.
The new Football Governance Act 2025, which established a new Independent Football Regulator (IFR) to safeguard the future of the national sport, maybe a reason why there has been no discernible news coming out of Deepdale in recent weeks.
One of the regulator’s new powers is to introduce stricter statutory owners’ and directors’ tests to make sure perspective club custodians are suitable.
North End, who began their season with a penalty shoot-out victory over Huddersfield Town in the Carabao Cup on Saturday at Goodison Park, prepare for their opening Championship fixture at neighbours Bolton Wanderers this weekend.
Lawrenson said: “The Hemmings Family, they have been great servants. Obviously, I know them very well, but with the Hemmings Family they have always said they will stick with North End.
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“But they always said that they might, at some stage, sell.
“Well, you would just stand up and clap them because they have just been fantastic with the club.
“I know with some supporters, they might say, ‘Oh well the Hemmings Family are worth gazillions - go and spend it’.
“But it doesn’t work that way - they have kept their word.
“The one thing is that they are not going out and paying massive wages, they’re paying good wages but not massive.
“They have been great for the club, they really, seriously have and that’s obviously before and after the big boss Trevor passed away.
“I think some supporters think, ‘Why can’t we have that or why can’t we have this’?
“But they should look at the fact that they have been paying these wages for all these years.
“How much would they have paid out over these years? It’s a frightening amount.”
North End smashed their transfer record outlay this summer when they swooped for Tottenham Hotspurs youngster Alfie Devine for a fee which could reportedly rise to £6m.
The 22-year-old attacking ace spent all of last season on loan at Deepdale with the club activating their buy option in the summer.
The fact that the club were able to meet the player’s valuation may signify fresh investment is imminent.
Lawrenson admits that it is getting more and more difficult for clubs like North End to compete for promotion to the Premier League financially, although that’s not to say that manager Paul Heckingbottom cannot inspire his charges to a golden campaign.
“Winning promotion on a low budget can happen, of course it can happen,” said Lawrenson. “But it’s getting harder and harder.
“I would love to see the differential between Preston’s wages and Ipswich’s - they have obviously just been promoted.
“I imagine it will be massive - you’re probably talking millions and millions of pounds.
“North End can’t do that, unless the guy who is interested comes in and has loads of money but I would have thought he would have been already in there.
“You look at the wages being paid now, it’s so, so dangerous and the Championship is the biggest danger because as we have seen when teams go up... they come straight back down....
“You just look at Leicester City - look at the mess they are in at the minute.”
Lawrenson admits it would be a dream come true to see his boyhood club reach the Holy Grail of the Premier League.
“I would love to see it,” he added. “I like the manager, but the league they are in, it’s the hardest to get out of.”