Ryan Lowe confirms what he'll be targeting in the transfer window for Preston North End

Preston North End boss Ryan Lowe wants to add some more leaders to his squad this summer.

The Lilywhites are set to finish anywhere from ninth to 12th this season, with the final day of the season away to West Brom. North End have lost their last four games and with the season fizzling out, attention is being turned to the summer. More squad turnover is in the offing at Deepdale and, after Monday’s loss to Leicester, Lowe confirmed he’ll be on the lookout for senior pros who can add value on and off the pitch.

“Yeah, you are looking at top players who’ve got those leadership qualities,” said Lowe. “And if they are a tad older, they can run the dressing room. The lads need guidance; we’ve got some fantastic leaders in there, but I just want a few more - so they can manage it themselves. We have not got a leadership group as such, but I want one. And I want them to lead and come to us - I have got a fantastic group of staff and players, but sometimes we all need that little bit of help and that’s what we’ll be looking for.

“We will recruit stronger and that’s down to me, to get players who can compete with each other. We have got a good, core group of players. Some will move on and some will stay, but I think we need to go that one step further next season - and add one or two more seniors and leaders, who can help the group when you do go through bad spells. They are tough, but as I’ve always said tough times don’t last, tough people do.”

With North End’s squad up there with the oldest in the division, the necessity for more experienced individuals may surprise some. Lowe could well lose captain Alan Browne and out-of-contract trio Ched Evans, Greg Cunningham and Patrick Bauer though - and the PNE boss sees it as a positive, that he knows exactly what he wants and needs.

“Yeah, because next year will be our third full year,” said Lowe. “And it’s ‘come on, let’s step it up now’. We’ve had two-and-a-half years to progress and I think there’s been progress, on and off the field. You only have to look at the academy players coming through, what they’re doing, where we’ve got to and the fantastic run we had - the best in so many years.

“The more goals we’ve scored this year and the home form has been better - nine more points at home. Yeah, can we go and get 12/15? Those are the messages and next year is going to be a big year for us to do that, because we’ve got to try and get ourselves in there. Whatever teams come down and whatever teams come up, we’ve got to try and break that mark, definitely.”