Preston North End manager Paul Heckingbottom does not plan to pursue any free agents.
On transfer deadline day, Heckingbottom made his first signing by bringing Josh Bowler from Nottingham Forest. PNE had previously secured Jeppe Okkels and Stefan Thordarson on permanent transfers and acquired Kaine Kesler-Hayden and Sam Greenwood on loan from Aston Villa and Leeds United, respectively.
Although Preston did not bolster their central defense—something Heckingbottom hinted he would have considered—no additional signings were made before the summer transfer window closed on August 30. With a 24-man squad named until January, Heckingbottom is not targeting free agents.
Heckingbottom said, “Not really, no. The budget has been exhausted. It was crucial to get one more player in. If a significant issue arises, we’ll have to reassess. For now, we’re focused on working with the players we have. We still need to see more from some players.
“We’ve been very pleased with their training over the last two weeks. There are still a few, like Ali McCann, who have been injured or away, that we haven’t had much time with yet. We need to spend more time working with them and getting to know them better.
“Our main goal, besides winning games, is to work with our current squad and give them opportunities to understand each other better. It’s crucial to first understand what we have before considering any changes. We want to see how everyone responds to our approach.”
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