'Not going to be a quiet summer...' - Preston North End chief hints at 'ambitious' transfer plans

Club director Peter Ridsdale has insisted it won't be a quiet summer transfer window at Preston North End with the club tipped to do business in a number of areas.

At least four positions have been looked at because of the departures already announced this summer. Ben Woodburn and Greg Cunningham have departed and so their positions will need to be filled, whilst replacements are already being sought for Alan Browne and Liam Millar should they not return to Deepdale when pre-season begins.

The transfer window opens on Friday, June 14 and the news that North End will do some business will be music to the ears of the supporters. North End did not sign any one during the January transfer window, and so it makes for a change from five months ago.

“Greg's left us so we have one central defensive vacancy,” said Ridsdale in an interview with BBC Radio Lancashire.

“Ben Woodburn has left us so we've got a midfield vacancy. We've already said that Alan may or may not stay with us so clearly we're looking to what we would do if. Liam Millar has left because he was on loan, he wasn’t our player.

“There are bits to do there anyway. Let's go right back to the beginning and talk about the retained list. There are players who are still with us who have got a year to go and they may think if they are not going to get a longer offer from us that they might want to look elsewhere. If they do we would have to replace them. 

“There are some players that we might get offers for and if we did and we accepted them, we would replace them. It's not going to be a quiet summer.”

North End will be one of five clubs that hasn't competed in the Premier League since its formation in 1991. As shown last season, Leicester City and Southampton, two clubs in receipt of parachute payments bounced straight back after their relegation and had sizeable budgets that dwarfed PNE.

All the clubs that finished in the top six last term had previously played in the Premier League, and for the 12 teams including PNE that finished in the top-half, only they and Bristol City are the only clubs not to have played in the re-branded top-flight. With only six clubs paying less than them in wages last season, North End finished nine places higher than expected based on the wage bill they have.

“It starts off with how much money that we have got,” responded Ridsdale when asked about the squad size the club will have next season.

“One of the things I get criticised for is we outperform our budget or whatever. People then say that is a lack of ambition. Let me say absolutely clearly on the record, this football club, Craig (Hemmings) who owns the football club, myself and everyone at the football club are ambitious and want this club in the Premier League.

“That's the starting point. We've got the 19th wage bill in the Championship. We've just finished 10th. If you want to be an optimist or you want to pat yourself on the back and say that was a good performance or want to be more critical, you would say we should have got in the playoffs and we didn't. The starting point is how much money you have got and what you can do with it. 

“In the ideal world, you have two players in every position, the squad size is limited to 25 anyway. We look to have between a 22 and 25-man squad and then you can top that up with players who are 21 and have come through the academy. We're in a pretty good position with academy players who have emerged recently.

“I think we will end up with a balanced squad going forward. Do I think it will be stronger than last year? Yes I do. Because we're going to bring in players who, if they join us, ought to expect to start assuming that they perform to the levels we think they can.”