Preston North End midfielder expected to reject contract offer and leave the club

Preston North End director Peter Ridsdale expects midfielder Lewis Leigh to snub a new contract at Deepdale.

The 20-year-old, who signed a professional contract with PNE back in 2021, spent time on loan at Bromley and Crewe Alexandra last season. Having impressed in the National League during the first half of the campaign, Crewe swooped in for him in January.

He played 16 games for Lee Bell’s side, as the season ended in play-off final heartbreak. North End offered Leigh a contract extension on the back of last season, but it’s looking like he will reject and choose to move on.

“I don’t think he will stay,” said Ridsdale. “I think he thinks he is worth probably more and will go straight into somebody else’s first team. But, we have given him the option of staying and he might be a member of the squad - which is up to him. Or, he might have to go out on loan if he wants to play every week. We thought it was valuable to give him an offer to stay. I don’t know, we’ll need to see what happens. My gut feeling at the moment is that it’s unlikely, but let’s see.”

When asked if it’d be a shame to lose Leigh, Ridsdale added: “It’s difficult, you’ve just asked me a question which makes great headlines. But, I think he is a lovely lad and did really well at Bromley and really well at Crewe. I went to the play-off final. Do I think it’s a shame? What I think Lewis deserves is a career playing first team football.

“Do I think that’s likely to be with us in the next 12 months? I think it’s unlikely, but I do not pick the team. If he gets the chance, therefore, to do that somewhere else then I think he goes with our best wishes. There have been plenty of players who’ve promised a lot... some stay with you and develop and some don’t. If they get a career in football, you’ve partly done your job in the academy anyway.”