As transfer windows go, the latest January instalment was practically silent for Preston North End. However, manager Ryan Lowe believes there has been a huge impact from the club’s summer recruitment this season.
With Preston’s only pieces of business in January coming in the form of contract extensions for key players such as Ben Whiteman and promising youth talents Noah Mawene and Josh Seary, the Lilywhites have also used this window to sort loan deals to harness their academy products’ development, with Lewis Leigh joining Crewe Alexandra for the remainder of the season.
The summer window was the polar opposite in terms of the amount of business at the club. The additions of experienced players like Will Keane, Duane Holmes and Jack Whatmough from other clubs in the Championship were complimented by the signings of younger prospects in Mads Frokjær-Jensen, Milutin Osmajic, Layton Stewart and a loan deal for Canadian winger Liam Millar, who has been electric for North End this term.
Unfortunately, the loan spell for Calvin Ramsay was cut short in January as he couldn’t maintain a place in the team after returning from a lengthy injury whilst at the club. Liverpool have now sent him back out on loan to Bolton Wanderers for the remainder of the season.
‘Never fall in love with a loan player’ has been a common theme around Deepdale, with fan favourites such as Cameron Archer, Thomas Cannon, Sepp van den Berg, and Alvaro Fernandez producing stellar performances for the club, but moving on to higher divisions or more reputable teams as a result. Preston fans may well be hoping that the club can strike a permanent deal with Basel in the summer for Millar’s services – but will also be wary about their past in the loan market.
Emil Riis’ recent return from a long-term injury has exemplified some of the success Preston have gained from the Danish market. Riis joined the club from Randers FC in 2020 and has made 124 appearances for the club, scoring 31 goals. Preston have made two other recent Danish acquisitions in Mads Frokjær-Jensen from Odense Boldklub this summer and the season-and-a-half loan deal with Leicester City for goalkeeper Daniel Iversen between 2021 and 2022.
In an interview with the Lancashire Post, Lowe offered his thoughts on how he views the success of the recent transfer windows. He also spoke about the successful start to the season, seeing his side sit at the summit of the table after eight league games, but unfortunately had a subsequent drop-off:
“Obviously, there was the start we had and then a few bumps in the road. Now we are continuing the theme of winning games of football, however way.”
“The small targets, we have been excellent with them. Again, credit goes to the group. Me and the coaching staff do our bit behind the scenes and they go and take it to fruition. And they’ve been brilliant. They’re a great set of lads and great characters. The belief, from me, has always been there. The belief from the players has always been there.”
“Attitude and application, since I came through the door – from the ones who stayed with us on the journey, the ones who committed to us longer and the ones we brought in – that is the reason I signed those type of players. We can coach everything else.”
Finally, Lowe also offered an insight into his thoughts about the ever-growing mentality in football, and what he does to deal with it:
“I read books on desire, commitment, resilience and the mental side of the game, with the players. It is tough, isn’t it? In football now, I think there is a lot of everyone wanting to try and be the best.”
Writer’s View
The missing pieces in the squad are seemingly falling into place with additions of a tricky winger like Millar and an attacking-minded playmaker in Frokjær-Jensen. There’s every chance that Preston could sneak into one of the final play-off spots. It’s obvious that there was a clear intention from the club in the summer window, but without making any signings in January, they could fall short to those around them in the table. The likes of Hull City and West Bromwich Albion have continued to recruit over this period and could find themselves leading the charge with much deeper pools of players.
If Preston can continue to exploit the lesser mainstream markets, like the Danish and the Swiss, they could end up doing some great business. With the price tags typically being less inflated in these leagues, North End’s current transfer model seems like a no-brainer from a recent performance and future profit standpoint.
