Riis features: These 13 Preston North End players will leave at the end of 2024/25 as things stand | OneFootball

FLW looks at 13 of Paul Heckingbottom's squad that are set to leave Deepdale at the end of the season if nothing changes

Preston North End have endured a turbulent time as a club as of late, but will be hoping for a more settled rest of the season ahead under Paul Heckingbottom.

The Lilywhites saw long-serving manager Ryan Lowe depart after just one match of the 2024-25 campaign, but ex-Sheffield United boss Heckingbottom is in place to try and bring a different dynamic to the current PNE squad.

Only five new players were signed by North End in the summer transfer window, so the majority of their squad is made up of existing players that have been starring at Deepdale for a number of years.

A number of those, though, are out of contract come the end of the campaign, and new loanees have only been signed for the season, so FLW have taken a look at the 13 players who, as of now, will depart Deepdale come the summer of 2025.

Emil Riis

A fan favourite at Deepdale, Riis' deal is set to expire next year, but many will want to see him extend his stay in Lancashire for another few seasons, given his clear goal-scoring ability that is otherwise mostly lacking in their current squad.

Riis signed a four-year deal with Preston in 2020, then extended for another year in 2021, and his 20-goal season in 2021-22 saw a bid from Championship rivals Middlesbrough arrive, although they refused to meet North End's £10 million demands.

Opening his account for the current season with a goal against Oxford United on August 31, Riis is still less than a year recovered from an ACL injury that sidelined him for nearly a full year, and you get the feeling there is more to come from the 26-year-old - should he remain at PNE.

Freddie Woodman

First-choice goalkeeper Freddie Woodman has not had a great time in between the sticks as of late, and maybe has had his contract situation on his mind with his current deal set to come to an end next summer.

The 27-year-old penned a three-year deal upon arrival in 2022 from Newcastle United, and made his 100th appearance for the club recently against Oxford, where he made a huge blunder to come out for a lofted ball, which Mark Harris headed beyond him.

He will need to come back into form under Heckingbottom this season though to make sure that he is offered a new contract sooner rather than later.

Kaine Kesler-Hayden

21-year-old Kesler-Hayden joined Preston on a season-long loan from Aston Villa last month, adding more pace and creativity to the club's wing-back and full-back options.

Having impressed in previous second tier loan stints with Huddersfield Town and Plymouth Argyle, Kesler-Hayden may be playing to try and secure a permanent deal next summer at Deepdale, despite signing a new contract with Villa before linking up with PNE.

Kesler-Hayden's first-team chances under Unai Emery are slim at best, and despite no option to buy clause existing in the agreement, North End will surely keep one eye on a potential permanent deal.

Liam Lindsay

Centre-back Liam Lindsay is now into his fourth full season as a Preston player, and signed a contract extension in December 2022 to take his deal to 2025, after it was initially set to expire last year.

A similar move will surely happen in the winter of this year. so long as he continues to play a key part at the heart of the Lilywhites' defence, which seems likely with over 100 appearances since his arrival and his award for Players' Player of the Year last season.

Duane Holmes

USA international Duane Holmes signed a two-year contract with Preston after joining from Huddersfield last year, and registered a decent return of five goals and six assists in 37 games in all competitions in his first campaign at the club.

He will be free to move onto pastures new next summer though if nothing changes regarding his current contract, and as he's not a guaranteed starter with plenty of competition for places in his favoured areas of the pitch, it may mean Holmes considers his options going into 2025.

Andrew Hughes

Hughes is another of Heckingbottom's starting defensive unit that is out of contract at the end of the season, and is into his seventh season at Deepdale, with over 220 games played so far.

He was due to depart this summer but had a one-year option in his contract triggered in January, but now 32 years of age, could the time come next year for the Welshman to finally depart the Lancashire outfit?

Jordan Storey

Jordan Storey is another starting centre-back that sees his current contract expire in 2025, so it is clear that with three first-team defenders in the same boat, North End need to put some focus on potential new deals unless they want to rebuild next summer.

Storey signed a three-year contract extension in 2021 to his existing deal that was up in 2022, and is due to surpass 200 appearances for the club soon, as he takes part in his seventh campaign as a Lilywhites player since arriving from Exeter City.

Ryan Ledson

Ryan Ledson has been with Preston since the summer of 2018, but is due to leave the club soon as things stand, with his last contract extension in 2022 taking him to the end of this season.

The centre midfielder impressed in the early stages of his North End spell as he won the Player and Players' Player of the Year awards in the 2020/21 campaign, but his influence has lessened in recent seasons.

And it seems unlikely that he will stick around past next year unless Heckingbottom really increases his game-time, as there will surely be other clubs waiting in the wings that can offer him more minutes than he's been getting in recent times.

Josh Bowler

Winger Josh Bowler joined the Lilywhites on a season-long loan from Nottingham Forest on deadline day in August, and his move caused quite a stir due to his previous affiliation with local rivals Blackpool.

Bowler is yet to make his debut for North End as yet, but could very conceivably extend his stay at Deepdale on a permanent basis if he does well this season, with an option to buy reportedly in the agreement with Forest, but it will all depend on how much he impresses under Heckingbottom.

Patrick Bauer

There was much confusion when the 2023-24 retained list for PNE was published and Bauer's name was on it, with many expecting the German to depart on a free this past summer after Ryan Lowe effectively froze him out of first-team contention.

However, it was revealed that back in the 2021-22 season, when he signed an extended contract, Bauer triggered an appearance-based one-year option to take his contract until 2025 - something that took many by surprise.

Bauer was a rock at the back in his first season at the club after his move from Charlton, but he has never truly recovered from a serious achilles injury in December 2020, and was completely out of favour under Lowe as he made just 10 appearances combined in 2022/23 and 2023/24.

Now aged 31, Bauer still probably has some years left in him, but he will have been kept around by Heckingbottom purely for squad depth, and it's unlikely he will see many minutes in 2024-25 unless there is an injury crisis.

Sam Greenwood

Sam Greenwood is another of the Lilywhites' season-long loanees for the 2024-25 season, after he joined from Leeds United in July to bolster PNE's midfield and forward options,

Greenwood has already opened his account for Preston with a brace against Harrogate Town in the EFL Cup, and is another that could possibly join on a permanent deal next summer with a reported option-to-buy in his loan deal - Middlesbrough had the same £1.5 million deal in place for this summer, but turned down the chance to bring him in on a full-time basis.

Kian Best

Young defender Kian Best burst onto the scene under Lowe at the start of last season, and was a mainstay in the side at the beginning of the campaign, but then struggled for minutes following a disastrous first-half performance against Middlesbrough back in November.

Best is contracted with PNE until 2025, and was the subject of a bid from an unnamed Saudi Arabian club at the end of their transfer window, which was subsequently turned down by the teenager himself after PNE put the offer to him.

The 19-year-old can play at either left wing-back or as a left-sided centre-back in a back three, and has begun to feature in the senior side again this season with cameos against Sheffield United and Harrogate - it will surely only be a matter of time before a new deal is on the table for the academy graduate.

Robbie Brady

Veteran defender Robbie Brady joined Preston on a one-year deal in 2022 after his contract had expired at Bournemouth, and his solid, if unspectacular performances in his first season saw him extend his stay by two years in 2023 to take him through to next summer.

Brady has featured over 70 times for the club as he now enters his third season at Deepdale, and although he is now 32 years of age, he will be playing for a new deal in 2025 - whether he gets the game-time needed though remains to be seen.