Preston North End take another step with Sheffield Wednesday and Luton Town swoops but vital work to do still
PNE signed Michael Smith and Jack Walton on Tuesday
Preston North End took their summer signings tally to eight this week with the double swoop for Jack Walton and Michael Smith.
Speculation around both players had surfaced and deals were swiftly announced, with goalkeeper Walton costing an undisclosed fee from Luton Town - while PNE acted fast to snap up Smith following his exit from Sheffield Wednesday. Neither are likely to be regular starters this season but that doesn’t mean they won’t play a part.
Starting with Walton, the 28-year-old has obviously been signed to provide added competition for fellow summer recruit Daniel Iversen. He’s put pen-to-paper on a three-year contract and has been playing football week in, week out, for the last two years north of the border, with Dundee United.
You rarely rely on more than two goalkeepers over the course of a season and in that respect, PNE’s department has been completely overhauled. Walton will surely be the one pushing Iversen most for a spot in the side. It’s not a deal to throw a party over; at the same time, one you’d struggle to moan about.
Dai Cornell has 12 months left on his contract at Deepdale, as does James Pradic. There is 14 years between the shot-stoppers but with belief in youngster Li-Bau Stowell highlighted this week, and Iversen and Walton on long deals, it points towards this year potentially being their final ones at Preston.
Walton came across well, telling iFollow PNE: “I want to get on the grass and get my boots and gloves on and do my talking on there. I know they've got very good goalkeepers here and hopefully, I can improve that area and push the competition with the other goalkeepers.”
As for Smith, there felt a collective coming around to the free transfer swoop on social media. It is another fairly safe, predictable player to go for but the 33-year-old will add something new to Heckingbottom’s squad. The verdict from Sheffield was overwhelmingly positive.
Many want to see their club recruiting young, exciting players, looking to the future. There has been some intent to do that on PNE’s part, with the moves for Odel Offiah and Thierry Small, while loaning in Daniel Jebbison. Evidently, though, experience, know-how and trust are all big things Heckingbottom wants in his corner.
Smith will definitely provide that, and if he can maintain his pretty durable record of game time then the 6 foot 3 front man should chip in with goals. North End lacked an aerial presence up top, which the former Owl is. He has shown the clinical touch he can provide with his feet, too.
Neither signings are overly outside-of-the-box and you could understand anyone not too inspired. Preston do look to have added two good characters, who will appreciate what the Deepdale faithful demand from those who pull on the shirt. It will be interesting to see just how much they feature, respectively.
It’s absolutely apparent that North End’s boss wants as many options available to him as possible. The Lilywhites, as a club, do go all in on the guy in charge, as opposed to nailing down a consistent identity. It seems Heckingbottom will place a great value on pragmatism over the course of the upcoming campaign.
You cannot blame him a great deal for that, in an era where so many teams and coaches are uncompromising on one style. PNE’s boss clearly has big influence and say - the eight signings this summer could all feasibly have been led by him. He’ll look to gain an edge game-by-game, using a variety of tools.
As written previously, the platform for all of that should be intensity, energy and physicality - something all six outfield signings this summer should contribute in their own ways. Two more ticked off and a step closer, yet still vital work to do on a squad which, at present, still needs added spark, creativity and firepower.