Preston North End boss Alex Neil expecting a busy summer in the transfer market

PNE boss Neil sees the next window as the second part of a squad overhaul which started in the winter.

January saw eight players arrive at Deepdale and eight leave, with big-hitters Ben Pearson Ben Davies and Darnell Fisher among the departures.

Of the eight recruits, five were on loan, so work will be needed there should North End want to bring any of them back for 2021/2022.

There are players coming to the end of their contracts this summer, while Preston will be mindful that a number of the squad will this summer enter the last 12 months of their current deals.

Neil said: “The recruitment side is going to be huge for us this summer. We are all aware we have got a massive rebuilding job which half started in January and is going to hopefully continue in the summer.

“We have a large number of loans at the moment and we will see what we can do with some of them.

“Equally we have some other players out of contract in the summer.

“I would imagine, whether the loan lads stay or not, that it will be the biggest overhaul of the squad we have probably had in the summer.

“A lot of that has been forced upon us really.

“It is hard to put a number on it but there will be quite a few changes.”

North End have done some recruitment behind the scenes ahead of their trawl through the summer market.

James Beet is their new senior recruitment analyst, having been brought in from Barnsley where he worked with a similar title for nearly three years. A PNE fan who hails from the area,

Beet will help identify potential targets who fit into the club’s model.

Neil is pleased to have Beet on board, helping to fill the vacancy created by the departure of head of recruitment Joe Savage to Hearts in December.

“James has got a wide and extensive knowledge of all the teams in all the leagues and targets,” said Neil.

“He will look for potential targets for us, ones that we can afford. Hopefully it will give us an opportunity to sign as many good players as we can.

“His job is one part of that process.

“Finding good players to go and get isn’t necessarily that difficult.

“Finding good players within our budget that works, who are going to help push the team to another level, is something very different. It is not easy to do.”

After a rare clear midweek North End resume action at Wycombe Wanderers on Saturday.

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