Opinion: Preston North End should pounce on Derby County contract dispute

Preston North End fans have had to wait a little longer than they would have liked for their transfer business to get underway, but the arrival of Freddie Woodman at Deepdale has finally kick-started the Lilywhites’ summer.

A goalkeeper was the main priority for manager Ryan Lowe before pre-season gets underway in the coming days, with no senior stoppers on the books at Deepdale going into the 2022-23 Championship campaign, but Woodman’s permanent signing from Newcastle United changes that.

Even though another goalkeeper is needed, Lowe can now look at other positions which need some bolstering, including new strikers to complement the free-scoring Emil Riis.

It is well-documented as well that wing-backs are wanted on both sides of the pitch, with Cyrus Christie linked with a switch on a free transfer on the right-hand side, but things appear to be more complicated on the opposite flank.

Ex-Norwich City man Xavi Quintilla, currently at La Liga side Villarreal, was Lowe’s first-choice to arrive at Deepdale, but after finding out that he would now not qualify for a work permit, the Scouser will be forced to look elsewhere.

One place that Lowe could turn to is the goings on at Derby County, with left-sided defender Lee Buchanan currently embroiled in a contract wrangle.

The 21-year-old was rumoured to be interesting the likes of West Ham United and Celtic last season, and made 30 appearances for the Rams last season, with their struggles off-field meaning they were relegated from the Championship and into League One.

It was reported that Derby had triggered the extension in Buchanan’s contract to keep him at the club a year longer, but in an update, the youngster’s agents believe that the Rams should not have been allowed