Preston sign Charlton's Small on four-year deal

Thierry Small made 48 appearances for Charlton Athletic last season, including the League One play-off final

Preston North End have signed defender Thierry Small from Charlton Athletic on a four-year deal.

The 20-year-old joins after the two clubs agreed compensation ahead of the end of his contract later this month.

Small moves to Deepdale off the back of winning promotion with the Addicks to the Championship through last season's League One play-offs.

After signing for Preston, Thierry told the club website: "I'm over the moon. It's an exciting time, a big part of my career now, and I just can't wait to get started.

"Speaking with the manager here, I feel like this was the next step for me to take. For me, it's just to keep on learning, keep on developing and I feel like Preston's the best club for me to do that whilst helping the team and hopefully achieving some success."

After coming through Everton's youth set-up, Small made his Toffees debut in the FA Cup as a 16-year-old and went on to join Southampton.

From there he had spells on loan at Port Vale and St Mirren before joining Charlton in 2024 where he made 62 appearances for the club.

"Thierry's someone we were really keen to bring in and I think he's matched our enthusiasm by making the decision to sign," boss Paul Heckingbottom said.

"He wants to come here to work hard and keep improving his game. He's a player with real pace and power, who loves to get at his man one-v-one and get crosses into the box. I'm looking forward to seeing him in a PNE shirt."