Ben Whiteman admits he always knew he wanted to stay with Preston North End, and he’s delighted now he’s committed his future to the club.
The midfielder’s contract was due to be up at the end of the season and he’s been in discussions with North End over a new deal during the previous few months, with the details being finalised last Friday.
He put pen to paper just before setting off to The Den for the weekend’s draw, and he’s now sat down with club media to discuss his future.
Ben said: “I’m obviously made up. It’s been a long process as contracts do take a bit of time but I’m delighted to get it done in the end and delighted to commit my future to Preston North End.
“It was always a case of me staying, it’s just contracts take a bit of time to get done really.
“Obviously now it’s all done I’m made up. It was a rush on Friday to get it all done before getting on a train to Millwall. Like I said, I’m made up to get it done.”
Ben arrived at the club in January 2021 from Doncaster Rovers for his first experience of Championship football and quickly became a regular starter.
He’s gone on to consistently feature and has already racked up 133 appearances for the Lilywhites, scoring ten games during that time.
The 27-year-old has spoken openly in previous interviews about his desire to help North End reach the Premier League, and that was a factor in his decision this time around.
He said: “Committing my future here, you obviously want to progress as much as possible.
“You can definitely see the signs of that throughout the club and in the coming years. It’s one of the main reasons I signed looking for the ambition over the next couple of years and seeing where we can end up.
“I’ve always said we’ve got a great set of lads in there. You look forward to coming into work today and training with the lads.
“You look to the future now and they’re going to be there as well so I’m buzzing.”
It was a very different time when Ben first joined the football club, with supporters not in grounds due to Covid-19.
Since their return, though, the midfielder – who takes the armband when club captain Alan Browne is absent – has been full of praise for the North End faithful.
“They’ve been outstanding since I joined the club,” he added. “It was strange times when I joined, but since I’ve walked through the door they’ve been unbelievable with me and I can’t thank them enough.
“Obviously for all the messages as well since signing my new contract, so a big thank you to them.”