Preston North End urged to move for Wigan Athletic star over Leicester City outcast | OneFootball

FLW's Preston fan pundit has his say on the Lilywhites' goalkeeping situation.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Preston North End could reaffirm their interest in Leicester City goalkeeper Daniel Iversen during the summer transfer window.

FLW exclusively reported that the Lilywhites were eyeing a permanent move for their former loanee at the start of February, and it’s possible that interest could be renewed in the summer.

The Dane spent one-and-a-half seasons on loan at Deepdale between 2020 and 2022, one of several spells he has enjoyed away from parent club Leicester.

With Preston looking likely to finish in the bottom half of the Championship once again, boss Paul Heckingbottom will surely be targeting several summer additions in order to help take the team to the next level.

Iversen would not be an upgrade on Freddie Woodman

Since Iversen departed the club at the end of the 2021/22 season, it has been Freddie Woodman who has stepped into his shoes as Preston’s number one.

The former Newcastle United and Swansea City man has been largely impressive during his time at Deepdale, but with his contract expiring in the summer, North End are in need of other options.

According to a report from The Sun at the end of January, the Lancashire outfit were open to selling Woodman in the winter window, with Wigan shot-stopper Sam Tickle thought to be top of their list of potential replacements.

However, with Iversen being linked with a Preston return since then, it’s possible that he could end up being their number one option. With that in mind, we spoke to FLW’s resident Preston fan pundit, Darren Watson, to find out whether he believes Iversen would be an upgrade on Woodman.

He said: “I don’t really think that Iversen coming in will solve all our problems. He’s not had much gametime and first team experience. He has been on the bench quite a bit and he’s not really had that gametime to keep himself game-aware and match fit.”

“One thing I would say is that Freddie Woodman is probably one of the highest-paid players at the club, so if he does go it will clear up that wage bill. But Iversen as well, would want, if not the same, probably more to come here.

“If I’m honest, we should look for other options to Iversen.

“I think we should look at Sam Tickle, the Wigan ‘keeper. He’s a young ’keeper and he’s hungry and wants to prove that he can go on to bigger things. I think we should put another bid in for him and I think he could be the right fit for Preston.”

Iversen has hardly played for Leicester

Despite being at the East Midlands outfit since he was a youngster, Iversen has hardly had an opportunity at the King Power stadium over the years.

His only senior appearances for the Foxes came in the 2022/23 season, when a poor run of form from Danny Ward saw Iversen handed the number one shirt for 12 Premier League games towards the end of the season.

Since then however, opportunities at his parent club have been none existent. He hasn’t made a single senior appearance this season, having sat on the bench for Leicester on several occasions.

His situation was also similar last term, until he moved on loan to Stoke City for the second half of the season and reminded everyone what he was capable of at Championship level.

Iversen kept seven clean sheets from just 18 games in the second tier, displaying once again the kind of quality that saw him win Preston’s Player of the Season award back in the 2021/22 campaign.

It remains to be seen whether Iversen will return to Deepdale on a permanent basis in the summer. With the Dane now 27, North End may prefer to opt for a younger option like Tickle.

However, if they value that added experience and prior understanding of the club, Iversen could be a shrewd piece of business for them.