Preston North End dealt transfer blow as Norwich chief makes ‘fantastic’ Manchester City midfielder claim
Preston North End’s reported interest in Manchester City midfielder Jacob Wright looks set to end in disappointment.
The Lilywhites were linked with a move for the 19-year-old during the January transfer window, with similar reports emerging again last month as attention started to turn towards a summer rebuild at Deepdale.
Work on revamping Paul Heckingbottom’s side began in earnest on Friday, with North End announcing that Emil Riis, Freddie Woodman, Kian Best, Kian Taylor, Patrick Bauer and Ryan Ledson would all be leaving the club upon the expiry of their current deals.
But as focus ramps up on the recruitment side of things, with Leicester keeper Daniel Iversen expected to make a free-transfer return to PR1, any plans PNE had of adding Wright to their squad ranks ahead of next season’s Championship campaign have suffered a blow.
According to Norwich sporting director Ben Knapper, the Canaries hope to announce a deal for the England under-20 international ‘in the not-too-distant future’.
What has been said about Jacob Wright and Norwich City stay
Wright has spent the second half of the season at Carrow Road on loan. He featured 15 times for Norwich in that time and registered four assists. And, according to Knapper, the talented teenager has made quite the impression both on and off the pitch.
When asked if he expected to conclude a deal for the midfielder, Knapper told pinkun.com: ‘Yes’
He then added: Look, he’s been fantastic. You guys have seen all the games, the impact that he’s made.
‘He’s grown continually since he’s been here. But I think the thing I would say about Jacob as well is it’s what he brings day-to-day and generally. And even at the games you would have heard him on the pitch.
‘We’re talking here about a young man who, from an experience in senior football point of view,he’s at the very start of his journey, but you would never think that from the way that he carries himself, the way that he approaches his work day-to-day, he’s got huge leadership potential.
‘Look, of course, we’re in a really good place with that. So I hope to have some news for you on that in the not-too-distant future.’
What Paul Heckingbottom has said about forthcoming transfer window
PNE will be looking to add extra quality with their ranks following this season’s unwlecome flirtation with relegation to Legue One.
Speaking about what the transfer window could bring, the Lilywhites boss said: ‘It’s going to be such a strong, strong league for lots of different reasons.
‘Probably, how well we do will be determined on how well we perform in the market this summer. You never have that (funding to do as much as you want) as a manager. The money is the money, but the backing to do the most with that money, yeah, definitely, 100%. The work starts now.’
Heckingbottom added: ‘If you get your Plan A then fantastic, but it generally doesn’t happen, so you have to be ready to move and just go with the flow of that to get the best possible squad.
‘That’s why I say loans are going to be important. Free transfers, we can afford a small pool (of them). So, yeah, we’re going to make some signings – as many permanents as possible, the right character, the right player and then we’ll certainly be bulking up the squad with as good a loans as possible. And we want to avoid just getting numbers… we want to make sure we can get loans to try and improve the XI.’
