Whiteman's exit strategy frustrates legendary former defender Lawrenson
North End captain Ben Whiteman is trying to force a move to Wrexham
Legendary former defender Mark Lawrenson has blasted the actions of North End club skipper Ben Whiteman.
The PNE captain appears to be on the verge of a move to Championship rivals Wrexham, with reports suggesting that the two clubs have agreed a fee of £3m.
Speculation around the midfielder’s future surfaced on Friday night and it only intensified the following day when he was absent from the Lilywhites’ 1-0 pre-season friendly defeat against Stockport County at Edgeley Park.
Afterwards, boss Paul Heckingbottom confirmed that Whiteman – who signed a new, long-term contract in the summer of 2024 – was looking to force a move away, revealing that the 30-year-old had informed the Deepdale hierarchy that ‘he had played his last game for the club’.
Heckingbottom said: “There's a valuation on him, I just hope for Ben's sake that Wrexham are willing to pay it, otherwise he's going to put himself in a really sticky situation.
”I'm not bothered now, he's made his bed, I'm not bothered as long as I get another player.”
Preston-born Lawrenson, who began his career at PNE before going on to become a key figure of the great Liverpool sides of the 1980s, was critical of Whiteman’s actions.
"If you sign your contract, you’ve signed your contract,” said Lawrenson. “Just because somebody else comes along and wants to take you, it’s just wrong isn’t it?
"As we all know in the Championship, you need a lot of players to be successful so it will be interesting what the club decides to do.
"For the captain to say he wants to go...well, I would just say, ‘I am sorry you’ve got a contract, see your contract out’.
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"He’s a good player but if all the players wanted to do what he’s done, then there would be no football. Sometimes you’ve just got to say no to a player and that’s the way that it is.
"Unless North End were going to get lots of money from the deal which would enable them to get two or three players, then that’s different.”
Lawrenson, above, admits player power is far greater than it was in his day.
"That’s just the way things have gone,” he added. “There were no agents in my day.
"Nowadays agents talks to clubs, to players.
"Back when I played, it was a guessing game, but you still worked to the letter of the law in so far as you had a contract for so many years and you stuck by it.”