‘I am relaxed’ - Preston North End boss on transfer latest

Preston North End boss Paul Heckingbottom was once again optimistic about the transfer window this week, but refused to be drawn into speculation about individuals.

Heckingbottom was speaking in his latest press conference on Thursday afternoon, looking ahead to PNE’s Championship opener away to Bolton Wanderers on Saturday lunchtime.

Shortly after the press conference ended, Sky Sports reported that North End have made a £1m bid for Hull City defender Cody Drameh, with Millwall and Stoke City also said to be interested in the right back.

Several reports in the past 48 hours have also suggested PNE are close to finalising a deal for Oxford United winger Stan Mills.

However, the U’s are currently under a transfer embargo and will be looking to find a replacement within their restrictions. Some have claimed this is why the signing may take longer to complete.

When asked specifically about Mills by BBC Radio Lancashire, Heckingbottom answered: “He's not our player, so there you go. You know I won't [say anything]. I don't talk about other clubs' players.

“He's not our player. That's it. I think if you hadn’t asked me about him, I'd be comfortable speaking to you about him off-record, in terms of what I think of him as a lad and a player and what I see from him, but he's not our player.

“Will he be with us before the end of the window? In terms of us being able to do a deal with him, I wouldn't know. Until there's anything to say, it’s pointless speaking.”

The PNE boss added that the club are getting ‘closer’ to signing a replacement for former captain Ben Whiteman, who joined Wrexham last week.

On transfers more generally, and the challenges facing North End in the market, Heckingbottom told Radio Lancashire: “You'd be able to guess them all. How expensive players are in terms of valuations of other clubs, how expensive players can be in terms of valuations or requests from agents.

“That's where everyone's at the minute. I think it's going to get really active, especially the last week of the window.

“There's agents doing their jobs and putting them round to all their players. If you're a club looking for a central midfielder in the Championship, you're probably all looking at the same players until one or two start to fall and then it filters down.

“Everyone's just asking crazy [money] at the minute, and then, flip that the other way as well, clubs who are looking to sell.

“If they've got three or four clubs interested in a player, they're not going to accept anything yet. They're going to wait and drive the price as high as possible. So that's always the case.”

North End have brought in four players so far this summer: goalkeeper Lee Nicholls, and club record signing Alfie Devine, as well as on-loan forwards Jusef Erabi and Delano Burgzorg.

Heckingbottom knows more are needed, and he’s confident of getting them.

“I think we do a good job in terms of when we can get in front of a player. Things are agreed and then, selling the football club, selling how we work with players, showing them what we think they bring to us as a team and where we expect to help them improve their game. I think we're pretty good at that.

“It's a tough, tough window, as you can see. As frustrating as it is, I always think everyone can be better, we can be better. I pushed myself to be better the other week.

“In terms of getting things done, we can all be better but one thing we're not doing is panicking, and I'm pretty relaxed about where we are as much as, I can't hide the fact - I say it all the time - we need players, definitely.

“We'll get some good ones between now and the end of the window.”