'I have spoken' - Paul Heckingbottom confirms Preston North End contract state of play after exit talk
The PNE director discussed contracts this week
Preston North End manager Paul Heckingbottom is not aware of any player rejecting a new contract at Deepdale.
This week, director Peter Ridsdale suggested that some members of the squad - whom PNE wish to keep - will not sign new deals at Deepdale. There are a whole host of players whose contracts expire in the summer of 2025, including the likes of Emil Riis and Liam Lindsay. North End’s boss has been very relaxed on the contract front, but he wants to be proactive when it comes to decision time and talks.
“No, we are in a position where I have spoken to one or two,” said Heckingbottom, when asked if anyone has rejected an offer. “And, it works both ways. The conversations with the players I have spoken to - I want every player to do well. So, if someone thinks they can go and get more money elsewhere or play at a higher level, fantastic... that is brilliant. Likewise, I won’t allow us to standstill and wait for an answer.
“We have to keep looking for a replacement and then there becomes a point when we can get this player and agree this. So, we need a decision - yes or no - or we move forward and make a decision. Whether that is players out of contract, or players you are trying to sign, you never want to be held to ransom. You have only got one option.
“My challenge to the recruitment team and to Peter, when negotiating, is to get two, three or four to a point where you are ready to make a decision - or you need to make a decision. Then, it’s: ‘This is what we are going with, unless...’. Otherwise, you are only putting your eggs in one basket. And, not only are you missing out on others, but you end up overpaying - whether that’s your own or players you’re bringing in.”
When asked if, as things stand, anyone in the North End squad has been offered a new contract, Heckingbottom said: “It is still early days. So, offers, I know what you’re saying... is there a contract in front of them? No. Conversations? Yeah.”
It’s early December and there is a lot of football to be played before the end of the season. Ideally, big contract priorities would be wrapped up well before then - which suggests there aren’t too many of them at the moment. Heckingbottom will be formulating views on players every day and week, but he once again underlined the opportunity this summer could present him - as opposed to viewing it as a problem, that several players might leave for nothing.
“(I’ve got) an idea, yeah, but that will all change between now and May,” said Heckingbottom. “Everyone has got an opportunity. If the season ended now, you make a decision now so you know where you stand. It has always got an opportunity to change. I think, yeah, I got thrown a bit the last week or week before about all these players out of contract.
“I didn’t get the issue, whether it was positive or negative and what they were trying to get at. For me, it is positive. Unless someone is finding an all new amount of money to spend, then it is positive because it frees up and gives you a bit of wriggle room to change things. So yeah, we will then make the best decisions in May, on who is staying and who is going.