As the loan window closed until January 1st, manager Simon Grayson spoke to PNE.Com to discuss about the work that had gone on behind the scenes in trying to recruit players.
The North End boss managed to complete the late youth loan of Bradley Fewster, but had also been frustrated in his efforts to sign other players, with clubs, managers and players themselves all changing their minds during the course of a busy 48 hours.
Speaking to the official website the gaffer admitted that it had been a very fluid period with a lot changing, hour by hour.
“When you are trying to sign a player there are three parties involved; you, the player and the player’s club and we’ve done an unbelievable amount of work to bring players in,” he said.
“We have given a lot of players an opportunity to come to the Club; we have offered very good money for certain players to come to us and there is nothing more our Club could have done to recruit players.
“Everyone would have loved to have seen a big name player in, but if we had signed Jermaine Beckford today and not last Thursday, then people would be buzzing about it.
“We have taken in Bradley who we feel has a bright future and who can play in a number of positions for us.
“I could have signed numerous players today, but they wouldn’t have been good enough for Preston North End. People get carried away and think you can go and sign players for the sake of it, but that isn’t the case.
“We showed out intentions by doing a lot of our work early in pre-season and then signing Jermaine Beckford a week before anyone else was making a move.”
The Lilywhites boss also revealed how a lot of things had changed when he thought deals were already over the line.
“Sometimes people don’t get to know about the things that are going on behind the scenes. On Tuesday night we felt we had the opportunity to get one or two players who were available,” he continued.
“One manager had told me that a player was available and when we decided we wanted him suddenly he was no longer available and another we agreed a wage contribution for that would have made him a very high earner, but he decided, despite being told differently by a club and an agent, that for geographical reasons he wanted to move elsewhere.
“I am not a manager for commenting on who we tried to sign, but supporters can rest assured that the names we were talking to and trying to bring in after the game against Oldham on Tuesday night were going to be major signings for us.
“They didn’t happen for reasons out of our control. We went for two or three major players from big football clubs, but unfortunately their parent clubs decided they weren’t going to do it – which they are of course entitled to do.
“This is a window that everybody is sceptical of, because they want to keep their better players around them ready for injuries and suspensions in the Christmas period, so we knew that – hence doing a lot of our business early in pre-season and securing Jermaine the week before.”
Having signed Beckford one week prior to the deadline and then Bradley Fewster as the window closed, the manager continued by discussing his options within the squad.
“Last week everyone was delighted with the situation when we brought Jermaine in, thinking that Joe and Jermaine would be a lethal partnership – and that’s how we all looked at it.
“We didn’t expect Joe to get injured, but we had already been very quick off the mark to secure a player that we felt was the icing on the cake to our already strong squad.
“It was of course a bit of a body blow to lose Joe and then Callum be recalled, but we have replaced Callum with Bradley and Joe’s injury has been covered by the fact we already had Jermaine in the building.
“It is never easy trying to do any deals, but with the bodies now available to us it will get us through to January – as there are just five league games between now and the window reopening – and we will certainly be looking to strengthen again in January.
“I was given the go ahead on all these deals by the owner and we were going to spend quite a lot of money – whether that’s on wages or transfer fees is not for me to disclose – and we will be looking again in January.
“The last thing you need to do is panic and bring players in who don’t make you any better.
“All in all I am pleased with what we have in the squad that will take us through until January and we will try and pick up as many points as we can and then assess the situation again in the new year.
“It has been hard work over the past 24 to 48 hours and slightly frustrating because we thought we were very close to getting some big name signings in, but we are still very happy with our squad.
“We will now concentrate on trying to win football matches. We feel we have good strength in depth and we look forward to this run of games. Hopefully people are encouraged by the good results we have already had and we can keep on the coat tails of the top two.
“We’re in a great position, I wouldn’t like to be swapping our squad with other teams, because I feel we have a really strong squad and good team spirit and I am really pleased with what we have to go with.”
Speaking to the official website the gaffer admitted that it had been a very fluid period with a lot changing, hour by hour.
“When you are trying to sign a player there are three parties involved; you, the player and the player’s club and we’ve done an unbelievable amount of work to bring players in,” he said.
“We have given a lot of players an opportunity to come to the Club; we have offered very good money for certain players to come to us and there is nothing more our Club could have done to recruit players.
“Everyone would have loved to have seen a big name player in, but if we had signed Jermaine Beckford today and not last Thursday, then people would be buzzing about it.
“We have taken in Bradley who we feel has a bright future and who can play in a number of positions for us.
“I could have signed numerous players today, but they wouldn’t have been good enough for Preston North End. People get carried away and think you can go and sign players for the sake of it, but that isn’t the case.
“We showed out intentions by doing a lot of our work early in pre-season and then signing Jermaine Beckford a week before anyone else was making a move.”
The Lilywhites boss also revealed how a lot of things had changed when he thought deals were already over the line.
“Sometimes people don’t get to know about the things that are going on behind the scenes. On Tuesday night we felt we had the opportunity to get one or two players who were available,” he continued.
“One manager had told me that a player was available and when we decided we wanted him suddenly he was no longer available and another we agreed a wage contribution for that would have made him a very high earner, but he decided, despite being told differently by a club and an agent, that for geographical reasons he wanted to move elsewhere.
“I am not a manager for commenting on who we tried to sign, but supporters can rest assured that the names we were talking to and trying to bring in after the game against Oldham on Tuesday night were going to be major signings for us.
“They didn’t happen for reasons out of our control. We went for two or three major players from big football clubs, but unfortunately their parent clubs decided they weren’t going to do it – which they are of course entitled to do.
“This is a window that everybody is sceptical of, because they want to keep their better players around them ready for injuries and suspensions in the Christmas period, so we knew that – hence doing a lot of our business early in pre-season and securing Jermaine the week before.”
Having signed Beckford one week prior to the deadline and then Bradley Fewster as the window closed, the manager continued by discussing his options within the squad.
“Last week everyone was delighted with the situation when we brought Jermaine in, thinking that Joe and Jermaine would be a lethal partnership – and that’s how we all looked at it.
“We didn’t expect Joe to get injured, but we had already been very quick off the mark to secure a player that we felt was the icing on the cake to our already strong squad.
“It was of course a bit of a body blow to lose Joe and then Callum be recalled, but we have replaced Callum with Bradley and Joe’s injury has been covered by the fact we already had Jermaine in the building.
“It is never easy trying to do any deals, but with the bodies now available to us it will get us through to January – as there are just five league games between now and the window reopening – and we will certainly be looking to strengthen again in January.
“I was given the go ahead on all these deals by the owner and we were going to spend quite a lot of money – whether that’s on wages or transfer fees is not for me to disclose – and we will be looking again in January.
“The last thing you need to do is panic and bring players in who don’t make you any better.
“All in all I am pleased with what we have in the squad that will take us through until January and we will try and pick up as many points as we can and then assess the situation again in the new year.
“It has been hard work over the past 24 to 48 hours and slightly frustrating because we thought we were very close to getting some big name signings in, but we are still very happy with our squad.
“We will now concentrate on trying to win football matches. We feel we have good strength in depth and we look forward to this run of games. Hopefully people are encouraged by the good results we have already had and we can keep on the coat tails of the top two.
“We’re in a great position, I wouldn’t like to be swapping our squad with other teams, because I feel we have a really strong squad and good team spirit and I am really pleased with what we have to go with.”