After signing a new contract which will run until 2025, Emil Riis said he was “really happy” to extend his stay with Preston North End.
The Danish forward, who joined the club in October 2020 on a four-year deal, has scored nine goals in 18 games so far this term for PNE, sitting as the team’s top scorer.
Having spent the early parts of his career with Derby County, he moved back home to Randers before signing for the Lilywhites. The club showed faith in him then and he’s delighted they’ve done the same to give him a new deal.
Asked how pleased he is to extend his stay, Emil said: “Very much. I know it’s only for another year than I already had but I’m really happy the club has shown confidence in me.
“When I left England, I really liked the country, but I wanted to go and play first team football. To come back and show I can do it in England, I’m really happy I can show that.
“It’s a great club and all the lads in the team are really good. Hopefully we can get some wins and get higher up in the table, but it’s an amazing club and I like everyone all around the club, there’s good people here.”
Emil’s move back to England came in strange circumstances, in the midst of the pandemic and so it understandably will have made it much harder to settle in, with socialising not really an option at that time.
Supporters were, of course, absent from stadiums and so it wasn’t until this season that he’s been able to properly introduce himself to the North End faithful.
“It’s good to have the fans back,” said Emil. “The games we’ve been playing they’ve been supporting us really well and it’s good everything’s opened back up, the restaurants and all that. It feels more normal now.
“When you come out from a game and you’ve been playing well then the fans are ready to take pictures and get my autograph. You get happy when people come up to you and want your pictures.
“It’s a lot about the people here as well, it’s not only about the football. There’s good people here and I enjoy coming here every day and playing football.”
Emil and his team-mates are readying themselves for the visit of Luton Town on Saturday afternoon, a side who sit fifth in the Championship.
After last weekend’s derby defeat, Emil feels the side have to step things up.
He said: “After the loss against Blackpool we knew we were going to change a bit and we had to go and get more together as a group and fight a bit more for each other maybe. We’re ready to show that on Saturday.
“Funnily enough we’ve been playing well against the teams high up in the table so maybe that’s a good thing.”
Hear more from Emil in his extended chat on The Weekend Warm Up on our YouTube channel later this evening, or watch his interview with iFollow PNE also on its way tonight.