PNE manager wants to be active in the remaining two weeks of the transfer window

Preston North End manager Paul Heckingbottom is looking to add two more attacking players before the transfer window closes.

Following Saturday’s 2-1 win over Leicester City at Deepdale, the Lilywhites boss said he would ‘love’ another new signing by next weekend’s clash against Ipswich Town. Last week, PNE made Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Alfie Devine their 10th recruit.

The 21-year-old arrived on loan and opened his account for the club in his first league start, against the Foxes. Heckingbottom, who has spoken about targeting a striker and 1v1 player, reiterated his determination to strengthen further.

On whether PNE are close on one and whether it’s a loan, Heckingbottom said: “No, not really... no one I can say. I've given three names who I want. Hopefully, we can get two of those three. But on Monday morning that might change - I could be giving another three names. There's three right now, yeah.”

Heckingbottom has been vocal about the Lilywhites being limited to free transfers and loans in recent weeks. However, with the league campaign starting the PNE manager has made a conscious effort to drum up positivity - emphasising that money is not the ‘be-all and end-all’. While Saturday proved that to a degree, Heckingbottom knows how important the next two weeks are.

“Listen, I get the questions,” said Heckingbottom. “I say it all the time, ‘Would I love more money?’ One hundred per cent. But if I'm moaning about it, that's a reason to fail, isn't it? So, it's not about that.

“Yes, we'll push and push and push and we’ll try and do as well as we possibly can in these next 16 days. What we've done so far is very, very good, but I want more, we need more and like I said, these last 16 days will have a big bearing on how well we do this season.”

When asked if he is looking to trim the squad in order to add, Heckingbottom told BBC Lancashire Sport: “No, but we might have to, to bring in. We need to be as good as we can be in the next two weeks.

“We were fantastic today, but if that's us for the rest of the season and I can't take Milly and Smudge off in any game, and bring on energy and pace, we're not going to win games as much as I want to win games.”

He added: “I'm being as honest as I can be without, one, giving too much away and two, it's not anyone's business to a certain degree, that type of thing. Could I sign a player tomorrow without? 100 per cent.

“I want more than one, but it's also got to be the right player. To answer your question in the best possible way, yes (it’s got to be self-financing), to a certain degree. As much as I want to do to improve us, if I want to get the numbers, the quality, I probably have to find some money somewhere.”

Your next PNE read: Heckingbottom on Valentin, Smith and Devine