Paul Heckingbottom talks Preston North End's summer transfer potential after contract activity
Preston North End confirmed another contract extension this week
Preston North End manager Paul Heckingbottom is happy to have tied down three of his first choice defenders in the last few weeks.
Jordan Storey, Liam Lindsay and Andrew Hughes were all set to see their deals expire this summer, but have signed on the dotted line until 2028, 2027 and 2026, respectively. Lindsay’s contract extension was the last to be confirmed, on Monday afternoon.
Heckingbottom, with a handful of senior players out of contract, had previously described this summer as an ‘opportunity’ to change things - with regards to creating budget. Defensively, though, he has largely been pleased with the trio and is glad they will be sticking around for longer.
“Yeah, really pleased... he's (Lindsay) been playing really well,” said Heckingbottom. “He decided he wanted to stay and that's really good for us. It was easy for us to get done. They’ve consistently performed well this season, which has been good. You’d love a vast number out of your 11 to be seven, eight out of tens every week. It’s then easier to make adjustments in-game.
“It's easier to develop a team if you've got a standard which you're getting. In general, they've been really reliable and consistent. Hughesy knows that role and has been very consistent. He was excellent again on Tuesday night. Liam, obviously, that middle centre-back suits him really well.
“Jordan, for me, I've seen bits of him in his time at Preston, but I don't think he's had a better run of form while he's been here. How he's responded to things in terms of trying to develop his game as well, has been really good and he's at a good age as well.”
Earlier in Thursday’s pre-match press conference the PNE boss described it as ‘one less job to do in the summer’. Jack Whatmough is under contract until 2026 while Patrick Bauer and Kian Best both see their deals run out this year. North End’s manager - who added Lewis Gibson to his squad this month - didn’t rule out further defensive reinforcements in the summer though.
“Always looking, yeah” said Heckingbottom. “We’re building. And yeah, we build with a three. Then it just depends about the players around. Out of possession we've had games where we've been a back four and a bit of a three when we've built and it's been fine.
“But if we're looking at results, performances, what the players are comfortable in, it's generally been when we've built and defended with a back three. That's been the players in front as well... the midfielders, the front players.
“The fact we've got Jayden (Meghoma) in now, he can be really comfortable playing as a wing-back - defending well and attacking going forward. And yeah, you've always got to change and adapt based on the opposition. But from that shape, we can move into whatever we want to.”
“It’s hard to find players like that...”
Wing-backs have been hard for Preston to find on the whole but right now Heckingbottom has a couple of sharp ones on loan, in Kaine Kesler-Hayden and Jayden Meghoma. It may prove tough to bring either of those back next season but the PNE manager will be looking for similar profiles.
“Yeah, the thing that Kaine’s done really well is being able to contribute in the attack whilst still being really good defensively for us,” said Heckingbottom. “It's hard to find players like that so yes, if you can get players like that, then it's ideal.
“I'm saying that as if that's what you have to do to be a wing-back, but we want all our players to be like that. I just mentioned Mads' defensive role being one of the front players... really important. How hard Milly works off the ball... really important.
“That's what you’ll always be judged on: what you're giving to the team. If you’re giving more than you're taking away you probably play. But when you only touch the ball for two minutes out of 90, it's what you're doing in that other 88, generally, that's most important.”