Paul Heckingbottom delivers verdict on Preston North End's recruitment department ahead of vital summer
There is another busy summer ahead at PNE
Preston North End manager Paul Heckingbottom appreciates the simplicity of the club’s recruitment department.
This summer will see Heckingbottom prepare for his third season at Deepdale. With loan stars having gone back to their parent clubs, PNE’s business in the transfer market will have a major say on how their 2026/27 campaign plays out. As the previous season drew to a close, Heckingbottom was asked for his thoughts on the club’s recruitment structure.
“You always want more,” Heckingbottom told the Lancashire Post. “We’ll have the least people working in there, the least money spent on it probably... hundreds of thousands (fewer than other clubs), some will be millions.
“But again, you can get poor decision-making if you have too many bodies. You can get the politics of it. You can get all sorts of things wrong that block your way. One of the things we do well is James (Wallace) heads up the department: real good eye, wants to work hard, wants to get about and see the players.
“We've brought Tom (Reeves) in - very similar, got an opinion, which is important. He will back it and speak up. Ultimately, that's what you've got to have if you're in my position. Otherwise, I'm doing their job. So, that's important.
“Ben (Smith) does a lot of the statistical stuff, presentations and gets out and watches games as well. But the good thing is there's just them, and then there's me and there's Peter. So there's no ego in there, there's no agendas.
“There's no one pulling in a different direction. It's identifying the players. ‘Right, this is the order we'd like to go in, 1, 2, 3’. Some might be out of our price range. The quicker we find that out the better, then we're not wasting time.
“Then Peter (Ridsdale) tries to get the deal done. The other thing we have to do is work really hard on getting options for positions, so we're never bent over a barrel. That's important. If we can create two or three options that we're happy with, we're never going to be overpaying.
“Because whatever we pay on one player comes away from what we can pay for someone else. There are lots of things that are really good here. I tend to think the more people you get involved in something, the more awkward it can become.”