Preston North End

Andy Bayes
BBC Radio Lancashire sports editor

Image source, Getty Images

The Paul Heckingbottom rebuild is well under way.

Half a dozen new players registered before the second week of July, which is ideal for a North End boss experiencing pre-season with the club for the first time.

Generally, each position should have two players. There is still work to do in that regard, but you can see signs that Heckingbottom's strongest XI (if there is such a thing these days) is looking stronger than it did in May.

Daniel Iversen will be the undisputed number one. If he's fit, he plays. A seven-figure sum for Odel Offiah from Brighton would also indicate he'll be at the forefront of the manager's thoughts.

In less than a year, Heckingbottom has changed his number one, added two centre-backs (Offiah and Gibson) and both wing-back positions have undergone surgery with Pol Valentin and Thierry Small arriving to replace Premier League loan players.

Heckingbottom's go-to formation has been a back three, but Offiah could open the door to switch to a four, should he mix things up from time to time. Offiah's loan at Blackpool last season saw him have a prolonged spell at right-back.

Small's arrival from Charlton has excited the fan base. This will be his first taste of Championship action at the age of 20 and perhaps he needs time to settle in to the level. His only season of regular first-team football was a promotion with Charlton last season from League One.

Valentin offers more experience at 28 and has been in and out of Sheffield Wednesday's starting XI over the past two years.

The forward area is the one in most need of further reinforcements. Emil Riis and Ched Evans are no longer on the roster.

Will Keane and Milutin Osmajic have both been linked with moves away but a departure for either is extremely unlikely unless the numbers in that department drastically change.

Canada international Daniel Jebbison, a loan arrival from Bournemouth, has played under Heckingbottom before at Sheffield United, and he's come to play. His goal output is an area to work on, but with regular football and belief from his manager, he'll be given every opportunity.

It's a case of watch this space for more forwards to move to Deepdale. If another loan from a top-flight club is being sought, that might have to wait for Premier League overseas trips to conclude.

As for the engine room, Jordan Thompson is a reliable option with Championship experience under his belt. He's made 42 starts in the last three second-tier seasons and addresses Heckingbottom's admission that his midfield was lacking left-footed options.

So, six in, so far… it wouldn't be a shock if we're talking double figures in terms of arrivals by the time the window closes.

Preston North End are set to beat Charlton Athletic and QPR to the signing of Brighton defender Odeluga Offiah. (London World), external

Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Wednesday's gossip column here.

"He's pretty dynamic - he's a really strong athlete and really pacy as well."

"He's still 22, and there's still improvement to come but on the whole Preston would have loved to have kept him."

BBC CWR's Will Oelrich spoke to BBC Lancashire's Gary Hunt about Coventry's rumoured pursuit of Aston Villa defender Kaine Kesler-Hayden, who spent last season on loan at Preston North End.

Listen to the full interview and more on BBC Sounds.

The EFL fixture list is out and we know you are bursting to know what you've got to look forward to - or dread - from your team this upcoming season.

Here are some key dates to put in your diary:

• 9 August 2025 - v QPR (A)

• 16 August 2025 - v Leicester City (H)

• 26 December 2025 - v Stoke City (A)

• 1 January 2026 - v Sheffield Wednesday (H)

• 2 May 2026 - v Southampton (H)

See Preston North End's full fixture list here.

Birmingham have joined the likes of Hull, Preston, Swansea and Southampton in the hunt for Nottingham Forest midfielder Lewis O'Brien, 26. (Alan Nixon, external - requires subscription)

Want more EFL transfer rumours? Check out Thursday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Your club will soon discover their schedule for the upcoming EFL season. As soon as Thursday, in fact.

Want to know who your side will face on opening day? The EFL fixtures will be announced at 12:00 BST - but that's not all.

The day will be rounded off by the first round of Carabao Cup being drawn at 16:30 BST.

So check back on 26 June to see who your team faces first, last and everything in between.

Former Preston North End captain Ian Bryson says he's impressed by the club's early recruitment this summer, which has seen five new players added to Paul Heckingbottom's squad.

The club have signed goalkeeper Daniel Iversen, defenders Pol Valentin and Thierry Small and midfielder Jordan Thompson while most recently striker Daniel Jebbison agreed a season-long loan from Bournemouth.

Bryson, who captained North End to the Division Three title in 1996, told BBC Radio Lancashire: "I think it's really, really good. It's unusual for Preston - we tend not to, in recent years, get players in until the windows going on and pre-season is well under way.

"I believe that Paul gave [the recruitment team] a list saying 'I want those players, go and get them' and it looks like that's happened.

"To get five in is really good. It's about getting that squad together. My biggest thing in the whole of football is team spirit – end of story.

"If you've got a team of 20 lads out there that want to fight and work for each other, you can be successful. So to get these players in now, get them involved with the rest of the squad early enough, it creates that camaraderie that gives you a chance."

You can listen to Ian Bryson, Graeme Atkinson, Martin Atherton and John Roper re-living North End's 1996 third division title win here via BBC Sounds

Preston North End are battling with Millwall for the signature of Aston Villa goalkeeper Filip Marschall, 23, after Norwich City reportedly pulled out of the race. (Lancashire Post), external

Want more transfer news and rumours from the EFL? Take a look at Wednesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Image source, Rex Features

Preston North End chairman Craig Hemmings has reiterated the club's intention to significantly overhaul the playing squad during this summer transfer window.

The Lilywhites lost 10 players at the end of the season, with six released upon expiration of their contracts, including Emil Riis, Freddie Woodman and Ryan Ledson.

Meanwhile, loanees Kaine Kesler-Hayden, Jayden Meghoma, Ryan Porteous and Sam Greenwood all returned to their parent clubs.

Chief executive Peter Ridsdale previously said Preston would likely need at least eight signings.

The club have already made four, with goalkeeper Daniel Iverson, defenders Pol Valentin and Thierry Small and midfielder Jordan Thompson arriving.

Hemmings has suggested more players will be brought in between now and the start of the Championship campaign in August.

"This transfer window more than any other in my tenure as chairman is about revolution and not evolution," Hemmings told the club website, external.

"Paul Heckingbottom and his coaching staff have a significant opportunity to reshape the football squad into the team and style of play they believe needed to compete for the play-off places.

"Plans have long been made and player targets identified for the summer transfer window.

"We believe our scouting infrastructure, analytics focus, and efficient decision-making processes will enable us to move quickly to land some hidden gems, both from the UK and internationally."

Preston North End are keen on signing former forward Callum Robinson, 30, from Cardiff City after the Welsh club were relegated to League One. (Irish Examiner), external

Leicester City are weighing up a move for Leeds United forward Sam Greenwood, 23, who spent last season on loan at Preston. (Mail), external

Take a look at Tuesday's full gossip column to see the latest transfer news and rumours from the EFL

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Image source, Rex Features

Former Charlton Athletic player and under-21's manager Jason Euell has joined Preston North End's first-team coaching staff.

Euell made 428 appearances across the English Football League (EFL), and played for England Under-21s and Jamaica.

The 48-year-old joins North End from Cambridge United where he was assistant manager to Garry Monk and Neil Harris, a role he also fulfilled for the Addicks, Bristol City and England Under-20s.

Former Wigan Athletic winger Andy Liddell joins the backroom staff as a fitness coach.

Ben Ashton
BBC Sport England

Image source, Getty Images

Watford are getting relegated, Plymouth are staying up, Millwall are in the play-offs and Portsmouth are also battling for a top-six spot.

Does something sound a bit off? Well, that's what would have happened if the Championship season started on 1 January.

Here's a look at the 2025 calendar year table, showing who the form sides were in the second half of the season and who went into freefall.

Perhaps the most notable difference between the actual final top six and the 2025 version is that Millwall would be in the play-offs and Premier League-bound Sunderland would not.

Burnley and Leeds still comfortably occupy the automatic promotion spots, albeit the Clarets would be unbeaten at the top of the pile with the Whites in second.

Coventry improved significantly after Frank Lampard replaced Mark Robins and are third over the course of the year.

The Sky Blues would instead be pitted against Bristol City in the play-off semi-final as opposed to Sunderland. Who knows what difference that would have made to their promotion bid...

Image source, Rex Features

Portsmouth - who spent much of the season battling relegation and only secured their Championship safety with two games to spare - are seventh and just one point outside a play-off spot.

Pompey sit above Sunderland, who lost their final five games of the season and are down in eighth.

The data perhaps shows just how long Regis Le Bris' side effectively had a play-off spot sewn up before their victory at Wembley against Sheffield United to claim promotion.

Relegation battlers Oxford find themselves seven places higher than where they actually finished in the 2024-25 campaign (17th), reflecting the good work done by Gary Rowett after he took over as boss from Des Buckingham.

Image source, Rex Features

Plymouth would have survived comfortably had the season begun in January 2025, showing a significant uptick after Miron Muslic replaced Wayne Rooney at the helm.

Middlesbrough tailed off significantly in the second half of the season, underpinning why they missed out on the play-offs. It was a drop off that ultimately cost Michael Carrick his job as head coach.

Norwich City conceded more goals (32) than any other side in 2025, which counteracted the hard work they'd done at the other end, having been the fourth top scorers (31) since the turn of the year.

Image source, Rex Features

Watford had a disappointing 2025, winning just five of their 23 games and losing 13 to finish bottom of the calendar year table.

The Hornets had the joint-worst goal difference along with Cardiff (-10) and head coach Tom Cleverley was sacked following the end of the season.

Preston and Cardiff won the fewest games of any side in 2025 (4), which cost the Bluebirds their Championship status and almost led to the Lilywhites dropping into League One as they avoided relegation by one point.

Paul Heckingbottom's side would be down if only games this year were counted.

Luton and Derby scored the fewest goals in 2025 (19) and attacking output was an issue that plagued both sides throughout the entire campaign.

It had major consequences for the Hatters with back-to-back relegations, while the Rams survived by a point - and only on goal difference in the yearly table.

Data collated from Transfermarkt

Ben Ashton
BBC Sport England

Image source, Getty Images

The 2024-25 Championship season might be over but there are many ways to analyse and reflect on the campaign that has gone before us.

Not every club can go up but if there are signs a team is moving in the right direction, it can still be considered good progress - or quite the opposite if things are on the slide.

Here is a look at how each of the 18 sides who were in the Championship for the past two seasons got on points wise compared to the 2023-24 campaign.

It perhaps comes as no surprise that Sunderland, who won promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs, recorded the most significant improvement after finishing 16th in 2023-24 and picked up 20 more points.

Despite a tumultuous season off the field, Blackburn were the second most improved side in the division, gaining 13 points on the previous campaign as they missed out on the play-offs by just two points.

Leeds racked up 90 points in 2023-24 but somehow still managed a 10-point improvement as they hit the 100 mark on their way to winning the title in their best-ever season in the second tier.

Millwall's seven-point improvement was enough to help them finish five places higher in eighth, but they fell short of the top six by two points.

Meanwhile, Bristol City were only six points better off but managed to climb five places and claim a play-off spot, recording their best Championship finishing position since 2007-08.

Coventry also only improved by five points but were able to jump from ninth to fifth, perhaps showing just how fine the margins can be in the Championship when it comes to securing a play-off berth.

At the bottom...

Image source, Getty Images

You might want to look away now, Hull City fans.

The Tigers went backwards more than any other side compared to the previous season under Liam Rosenior, dropping from seventh place and three points outside the play-offs to only escaping relegation on goal difference on the final day.

Cardiff went from mid-table in 2023-24 to rock bottom and will drop down to League One for the first time in 22 years. It is pretty clear to see why as the Bluebirds picked up 18 fewer points compared to the previous season.

Norwich tumbled to 13th place after finishing in the play-offs a year before - an underperformance which ultimately cost Johannes Hoff Thorup his job as head coach.

Preston were 10 points off the play-off places in 2023-24 but picked up 13 fewer points under Paul Heckingbottom in what was their worst season since they were relegated from the Championship in 2010-11.

The Lilywhites' downturn was largely due to a major dip in form in the latter stages of the campaign, picking up only one win from their final 15 games (D7 L7) to avoid the drop by just one point.

West Bromwich Albion endured a disappointing season - for a club which always harbours ambitions of plying its trade in the top flight - with an 11-point drop off.

Albion's final points tally of 64 was their worst in the Championship since 1999-2000.

Plymouth may have only been five points worse off than they were in 2023-24 but having survived on the final day that season, there were to be no such heroics this time around and their two-year stint in the second tier is over.

And the rest...

Image source, Getty Images

*All data based only on teams who were in the Championship in 2023-24 and 2024-25