Preston North End summer exit prediction made | OneFootball

Our North End fan pundit can see Freddie Woodman leaving the club ahead of next season

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's first-choice goalkeeper Freddie Woodman has been predicted to depart Deepdale this summer for a new challenge amid some poor form this season, with the Lilywhites deemed unlikely to extend his contract before it expires in June.

Woodman is nearing the end of his third season with Preston, after he joined the club on a three-year deal from Newcastle United in 2022, and it is fair to say that he has had numerous ups and downs in between the sticks for the Lilywhites in that time.

The Croydon-born stopper won the club's Player of the Year award in his debut campaign and mostly impressed throughout last season, but this term has seen his performances take a dip on occasion with some mistakes that have led to Paul Heckingbottom's side conceding soft goals.

Freddie Woodman tipped to leave Preston North End this summer

Woodman has made 43 appearances, conceded 47 goals and kept 17 clean sheets so far this term, which are decent statistics on the face of it, but PNE supporters have become somewhat disillusioned with his shaky nature and mishaps that have crept into his game over recent months.

The 28-year-old was sent off late on against Stoke City in November for handling the ball outside his penalty area, while his miscued pass allowed Oxford United to open the scoring in a January game at Deepdale, and North End only came away with a point despite commanding proceedings.

Woodman has become a divisive figure among supporters, but while Heckingbottom has stood by his main keeper, our Preston fan pundit, Darren Watson, thinks it is unlikely that he will extend his deal past this summer to stay at the club, while he has urged them to invest in an upcoming shot-stopper that can help them push for promotion next season.

“One player that I think is most likely to leave this summer is Freddie Woodman," Darren told FLW.

“I think all the rumours are true that Freddie is looking to leave the club at the end of the season, obviously, it’ll be on a free transfer.

“He won’t sign another contract with the club. His head’s not really in it, he’s been getting a bit of stick from the fans as well, which doesn’t really help.

“He’s had good moments in this season, but some of the other times where we have conceded, it’s been a couple of mistakes on his behalf as well.

“I do feel like he is going to look for something else in the summer. I don’t know who he’s going to go to, whether it’s in this league or another country.

“I do think he will be missed. You know, who are we going to get as a replacement? Is it going to cost us more money? Are we going to be looking at spending a couple more million on a decent keeper?

“In the long run, that would work for us, if it’s a decent keeper, someone young enough that we can progress with and hopefully retain and keep on a long contract.

“Hopefully, they’re a decent enough keeper to hopefully help us push for promotion as well, which is inevitably what we all want.”

Paul Heckingbottom has not shed any light on Woodman's situation

The Sun's Alan Nixon claimed towards the end of the recent January transfer window that Preston were tracking Wigan Athletic goalkeeper Sam Tickle, and they would be open to selling Woodman at the right price if they were given a decent offer before the deadline.

No approaches were made though, and he is now set to stay at Deepdale until at least the summer. PNE boss Paul Heckingbottom has continued to pick him as his first-choice but was unable to offer any real clarity on his contract situation when asked about it last week after their game against Swansea City.

“I'm still open to everything. We've signed three or four players now who have stayed, mainly the centre-backs because there's no way we could do all that business in the summer," he told the Lancashire Post.

“But the only money I've got at present, which I know I'll have, is players' wages. So, yeah, I'm not committing to anything as it stands.

“That will happen in the next few weeks, definitely: yes and no's and things like that. But I can't commit to it because we'll just have the same group again.

“ I want to know exactly what we've got to play with and then you can make better decisions. We're looking at what we can get for the money.

“If I keep Freddie now, we've got Freddie. You have to all look and if that's the only money you can play with, you've got to play with it... that's it.”

Heckingbottom's view on the saga certainly does not give the feeling of the club definitely wanting him to stay for next season and beyond. Woodman himself also admitted after the 0-0 draw with the Swans that he had not heard anything regarding talks over a new deal.

Preston would surely have wanted to sort his future out a lot earlier if they definitely wanted him to stay, so an exit does look increasingly likely as every week passes with no new news. Whether they reignite their interest in Wigan stopper Tickle remains to be seen, but they will no doubt have numerous upcoming keepers on their radar if the 28-year-old does depart.