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...
17. Izzy Brown - 1
Quite a brutal score but the former Chelsea man didn't play a single game for PNE, after suffering a serious injury in the pre-season of 2021. | PNEFC
.jpeg?crop=4:3&trim=&width=800)
18. Ali McCann - 7.5
Playing his best football in a North End shirt at the moment and looks set to be a key man for Paul Heckingbottom moving forward. A fan favourite. He hasn't played as many league games as he would've hoped in the last three seasons, but should be aiming to reach 40 this campaign. | CameraSport - Dave Howarth
19. Liam Lindsay - 6.5
The Scot has had some challenging times but fought through them. He's been a regular in Preston's defence for two-and-a-half seasons now. Picked as Players' Player of the Year in 2023/24. Scored 'that' winner at Ewood Park. | CameraSport - Dave Howarth
20. Matthew Olosunde - 2
The American looked a steady addition at the time but he played three games in two tough years at PNE. | CameraSport - Rich Linley