"Confident" - Preston North End: Prediction issued on Plymouth Argyle, Swansea City transfer race | OneFootball

North End's FLW fan pundit thinks the club will beat the competition to sign Joe Low

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 have been tipped to complete the signing of Wycombe Wanderers defender Joe Low this month, despite the captures of both a new goalkeeper and new striker each being deemed as a bigger priority to the club in the January window by our fan pundit.

The Lilywhites' recent form has been patchy, and while Paul Heckingbottom's side are not leaking goals at will by any means, the former Sheffield United boss has made it clear that he wants to bolster their defensive ranks this month.

North End kicked off 2025 with the smart signing of Plymouth Argyle centre-back Lewis Gibson for a reported fee of around £1.5m, as Heckingbottom brought in a coveted left-sided defender for his three-at-the-back system.

Recent reports have seen the club linked with yet another centre-back, Joe Low of Wycombe Wanderers, with the club seemingly not yet done in regard to defensive incomings, and clearly aiming to get the bulk of their January business done early with little stress.

"Good" Joe Low verdict issued by Preston fan pundit

Transfer journalist Alan Nixon recently revealed that Preston had joined the race for Low's signature alongside fellow Championship outfit Swansea City, with his price tag claimed to be set at around £750,000 after a stellar campaign that has seen him play every single minute of League One action in the Chairboys' promotion push.

Swansea's interest in Low was previously exclusively revealed by Football League World, with Wycombe knocking back an offer from the South Wales side prior to the January window, while Plymouth have also submitted a bid for his services, according to Pete O'Rourke.

The 22-year-old is clearly very highly rated among second-tier sides, and our North End fan pundit Darren Watson wants to see the club make a move for him soon.

“I’ve seen a lot of good stuff about Joe Low from Wycombe. A lot of clubs are trying to challenge for his signature, but I am confident that Paul Heckingbottom will get the job done," Darren told FLW.

“I know that he wants to change the defence, and get these tall, strong defenders into the squad, and that he likes to get his deals done early so he can integrate players into the squad.

“Hopefully we will see Lewis Gibson in the game against Charlton Athletic in the FA Cup on Saturday. I’m looking forward to seeing him play.

“I’ve always said what we need now is a goalkeeper and another striker as well. If we bring in a second defender, that’s the defence covered, because there are also a lot of players out of contract at the end of the season, and I’m sure Paul Heckingbottom has got his eye on who he wants to keep and get rid of.

“I think we would be giving contracts to certain players now (if they were staying), and not waiting until the end of the season, so the ones that are out of contract are inevitably going to go.

“We do need to rebuild under Heckingbottom because we know what he can do when he is given the money and given the players that he wants in.

“He can get you promoted. We’ve seen that before with Barnsley, and Sheffield United as well.”

Joe Low has won high praise from his boss ahead of a potential move

Wycombe have been a surprise package in the third-tier so far this season, and are the main team disrupting Birmingham City's title charge after their expensive summer, with numerous consistently standout players throughout Matt Bloomfield's side, including Low.

The 22-year-old has not missed a minute of league action up to now, with four goals in 24 appearances and impressive performances week-in, week-out to help the Chairboys to second place.

Wycombe boss Bloomfield has remained open about Low's short-term future at the club, and while they will certainly not want to lose him anytime soon, he has admitted that the two-time Welsh international will go on to bigger things at some point in his career.

“He is a very good player, he’s our player and I’m pleased with him as he works very hard," he told BBC Three Counties Radio, via WalesOnline.

"We’ve had him for 18 months or so and we brought him in as a free transfer.

"At that point, it was decided that he wasn’t good enough for the Championship. We took him and we believe in him and we’ve nurtured him.

"He’s an incredible young man who is destined to go onto better things, and we’re proud of him."

It is clear that Low has all the tools to be a success in the Championship right now, hence the interest from North End and other second-tier sides.

The Lilywhites clearly want to add a long-term investment to their backline alongside new addition Gibson, with the likes of Liam Lindsay and Andrew Hughes both out of contract at the end of this season.

Low could well be that key signing to come in and complete Heckingbottom's defence going forward, but Preston are set to face tough competition for his signature over the coming weeks.