Will Keane secured the victory for Preston North End (PNE) with a 1-0 win against Luton Town on Saturday. PNE’s new manager, Paul Heckingbottom, is determined not to let Keane or any other key player leave the club before the transfer window closes next Friday.
Earlier this week, PNE received an offer for Keane from West Bromwich Albion, which was promptly rejected. Despite the bid, West Brom has not made any further attempts, and Keane went on to play in Heckingbottom’s first match as manager, scoring the decisive goal in the 39th minute to clinch the win at Deepdale.
Keane, who rejoined North End from Wigan Athletic last season and finished as the club’s top scorer, remains a crucial player for the team. Heckingbottom is relieved that the club turned down the offer and is adamant about keeping all key players.
After the match, Heckingbottom commented, “Yes, there was an offer for him, definitely. But as I’ve just started here, selling our best players is not an option. The club has a strong tradition of not needing to sell, which is something I appreciate about this job. Managers rarely get the time to build and create something, and selling a player without a replacement in place doesn’t make sense from any perspective.”
Heckingbottom also shared that he had spoken with Keane, who is happy at the club. “He’s a professional, and contracts are contracts. If a club isn’t willing to meet the valuation, you keep working hard. The way to change that is to perform even better, so someone meets that value. But for now, it just didn’t make sense to sell,” he added.
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