Very positive, time will tell, up and down - How Preston North End's 5 summer signings have performed
PNE made five signings in the summer transfer window... how have they fared so far?
Sam Greenwood
Preston North End’s loan signing of the Leeds United man came out of nowhere in the summer. His first couple of outings were not the best in truth, but credit has to go for Greenwood for the impression he quickly made on new manager Paul Heckingbottom. The versatile midfielder put in a strong showing at Harrogate Town - scoring twice - and got himself in the team for Oxford United away. North End suffered a frustrating defeat at the Kassam Stadium, though Greenwood did himself no harm. There had been a few concerns over his physicality, but we quickly saw the 22-year-old’s aggression and energy.
He clearly has technical quality, too. His red card against Blackburn Rovers was a daft moment, learning curve and disappointing blow all in one. Preston lost a player, whom Heckingbottom had been pleased with, for three tough games. Greenwood now returns in the nick of time, with a couple of strikers injured and captain Ben Whiteman suspended for one match. There was a great appetite for the game there anyway, but that should be heightened even more after his absence. Expect to see a fierce determination in him, when PNE resume their league campaign.
Stefan Thordarson
It’s always exciting when a new recruit looks the real deal - and those were the early signs from Iceland international Thordarson. Signed from Silkeborg, for a reported six-figure fee, the midfielder was the only real positive from that difficult opening night defeat to Sheffield United. Since then, he’s been in and out of the side and not quite made the impact you were expecting in games - without being poor. But, it’s a new league, new country, there have been a couple of knocks and of course, a managerial change.
Thordarson needs time to properly settle and in the meantime, other midfielders have been performing pretty strongly. His talent is clear to see and you can guarantee Heckingbottom will push him all the way, to squeeze every ounce of that ability out. The verdict from Denmark was that he sometimes drifts out of games, after starting brightly. We’ve seen a little bit of that to date. No doubt, though, Thordarson has the raw tools to thrive in the Championship and there’s plenty of time left for him to do so, this season.
Kaine Kesler-Hayden
The Deepdale faithful appear to be falling in love with the Aston Villa loan man. PNE have been crying out for some speed at full-back for the last two-and-a-half years. It is, of course, worth noting that North End have been much more fluid, formation wise, under Heckingbottom - so Kesler-Hayden is not rooted to one position when he plays. But, he has operated on both flanks and the performances from him have been hugely encouraging. Kesler-Hayden regards the right as his preferred side, but he has done just fine on the opposite flank.
On the back of two loan spells in the Championship, Preston look to have snapped him up at the perfect time. As Heckingbottom always says, the onus will be on him, but there feels potential for this to be a big season for the 21-year-old. He plays with terrific intensity, enthusiasm and always looks to be positive. Certain parts of his game can hopefully be tidied up, but it’s been a solid start. Another feather in his cap is his personality. Kesler-Hayden speaks with great maturity, charisma and that will only boost his popularity with the PNE fans - who seem sold already. Fingers crossed he stays fit.
Jeppe Okkels
We’re yet to see a great deal of the 25-year-old, after his reported £1.7m move from FC Utrecht. Okkels has been fit, but hasn’t played much football this calendar year. He was snapped up amid the Ryan Lowe leaving saga, with the Lilywhites’ having been on the search for a wide player. Preston went through with the signing, having agreed terms after Okkels was identified by the recruitment department. So far, he has played 86 minutes across four Championship appearances - one start and three off the bench.
Okkels played the full 90 minutes at Harrogate, where his pace and power was on show down the left flank. At Middlesbrough, on his full league debut, Heckingbottom opted to take him off at half-time - but made it clear that the team had not utilised his speed, in behind, as often as hoped. Recently, the Preston manager said the Lilywhites are trying to help Okkels adapt - with him having thrived in teams who play a very different way to PNE. That is not ideal, but it’s still very early days yet and that doesn’t mean the Dane cannot succeed in a Preston shirt.
Josh Bowler
It started very brightly for Bowler. His performance against Fulham, in that bonkers Carabao Cup win, was positive. The winger’s directness, control and skill was on show at Deepdale - as he caused problems and played a hand in Ryan Ledson’s goal. After that, he played more than an hour against Blackburn Rovers and Millwall, before being an unused substitute against Watford and Burnley. Greenwood’s red in the Rovers clash didn’t help Bowler, but he still carried a threat at times.
At Millwall, the on-loan Nottingham Forest man was not at the races - which could be said for every PNE player on the day. Heckingbottom after that game said he saw things he wouldn’t accept, so Bowler’s showing was perhaps one which particularly unimpressed. But, the 25-year-old was Heckingbottom’s signing - his first as Preston manager - and you’d fully expect him to bounce back. Bowler knows he is a confidence player and made it clear, in interviews, that he will always try to make things happen when on the pitch. There is no doubting his talent. The best is surely yet to come and if it arrives, it’ll be exciting.