Preston North End have had plenty of success in the loan market over recent seasons, but how does their permanent recruitment compare?
The Lilywhites spent a reported fee in excess of £1.5million to land Plymouth Arygle defender Lewis Gibson last week - the centre-back is manager Paul Heckingbottom’s first permanent recruit and he could debut this weekend at Deepdale.
Going back to the summer of 2019, a total of 28 players have signed for PNE on permanent deals. Some have been first team regulars for the duration of their North End careers, others have been up and down while a handful never really got going at all.
Here’s how we rate every one of those acquisitions...
13. Freddie Woodman - 6
Woodman has been North End's number one for two-and-a-half seasons now. His first year was solid. There have been difficult moments over the last 18 months for him to battle through. | Getty Images
14. Bambo Diaby - 5
Diaby was a big personality and extremely likable. There felt cult hero potential in him but the defender ended up moving on after 25 appearances. He had some good games and some poor games. | National World
15. Connor Wickham - 2
Wickham suffered a nasty injury on his first start and second appearance for Preston. He wasn't seen again in a North End shirt. | CameraSport - Stephen White
16. Jamie Thomas - 2
Enormous faith was shown to sign the Bamber Bridge man after he impressed in a pre-season friendly against Preston. Thomas played once in the Carabao Cup for PNE. | CameraSport - Mick Walker