Freddie Woodman makes Preston North End transfer admission after previous AFC Bournemouth spell | OneFootball

Preston North End goalkeeper Freddie Woodman has revealed he knew of the Lilywhites’ interest in him way back in March when his current club met his former loan side AFC Bournemouth, speaking to the Lancashire side’s media team.

The former Newcastle United goalkeeper had been hoping to make a real impact at the Vitality Stadium after being brought in by Scott Parker in January – but made just one appearance for the Cherries during his spell on the south coast.

He remained behind Mark Travers for the vast majority of his spell at Bournemouth – and with that – he was unlikely to return with his future looking uncertain when he returned to St James’ Park in the summer.

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Although he would have been hoping to be a key part of the Magpies’ first team during the 2022/23 campaign and beyond, Nick Pope’s arrival and the presence of Karl Darlow cast real doubt over that with Martin Dubravka also at the club at the time of Woodman’s permanent departure too.

And it seems as though there was never any real chance of the current Lilywhite being in Howe’s plans, with Loris Karius coming in to replace Manchester United’s Dubravka.

Woodman, meanwhile, knew of Preston’s interest for some time and jumped at the opportunity to make the switch to Deepdale.

He said: “You know, it’s funny because obviously I came to Deepdale when I was at Bournemouth and we lost the game 2-1, but the manager [Ryan Lowe] and Marshy [Mike Marsh] gave me the heads up there to say they were interested in me.

“Ever since then I’ve kept a close eye on Preston and I was really interested in coming here.”

The Verdict:

Preston was a very good career move for the shot-stopper – because it was clear he was going to win far more minutes on the pitch at Deepdale than he was going to with the Magpies.

At 25, he needed to be playing sooner rather than later if he wanted to improve so he simply couldn’t afford to remain within the comfort zone at St James’ Park, even though he had the right to.

The Lilywhites may not have the resources to be a promotion favourite just yet – but they do have a talented manager who will only improve and that’s a promising sign for the future.

And the fact there aren’t huge expectations in Lancashire has probably helped the stopper to settle in, with this move turning out to be a decent one for the 25-year-old who will have been delighted with his side’s defensive record so far this season.

If he can remain consistent and impress throughout the next season or two, that can only boost his hopes of playing in the top flight again one day, with or without Lowe’s side.