- Founded 1880
- Stadium Deepdale
- Manager Paul Heckingbottom
- Competition Championship 2026-27
- Goals 9
- Goals Conceded 24
- Yellow Cards 23
- Total Red Cards 1
Preston Squawka Score ratings 2026/27
Preston North End have taken four points from eight games and sit 23rd. Paul Heckingbottom’s side have won once and lost six, conceding 15, and the summer departure of captain Ben Whiteman to Wrexham has left a hole in midfield they have not filled. Below, we take a look at Preston’s most-used XI so far and how each player has performed, based on the Squawka Score rating system.
The Squawka Score is a metric developed to assess a player’s performance relative to other players in the same position. It is shown as a percentage, and it is worth knowing that 66% is average rather than 50% – a 70% is a good afternoon and 85% or above marks out one of the best players on the pitch. Each score is calculated from a range of per-90-minute statistics, taking in the obvious numbers such as goals and assists alongside some more obscure ones that are far more position-specific. A player’s season figure is simply the average of his match ratings.
One note on the Championship: the division does not carry expected-goals data, so these ratings are built on volume and quality of actions – shots, big chances, duels, clearances, passes into the box – rather than xG and xA.
GK: Daniel Iversen – 70% – The best player at the club. Twenty-five saves, a club-leading 48 progressive passes and 18 possessions regained in his own third from every available minute. Fifteen conceded is the club’s worst figure and almost none of it is on Iversen.
RWB: Harry Clarke – 63% – Thirty-six duels won and 21 aerial duels won lead the club, with 39 passes into the penalty area, 12 interceptions, 34 clearances and seven blocked shots. Four yellow cards is the highest at the club and two big chances missed the frustration.
RCB: Odeluga Offiah – 68% – Three starts and six tackles won in 298 minutes. An error leading to a shot is the caveat, but the rate is good and Offiah looks worth more minutes.
CB: Jordan Storey – 67% – Fifteen interceptions and 36 clearances lead the club, with 32 duels won and 16 aerials from six starts. Storey has been the most dependable member of the back three.
LCB: Lewis Gibson – 65% – Eight interceptions and four blocked shots from four starts. Gibson has not had a settled run and the defence has rotated around him.
LWB: Andrija Vukcevic – 63% – An assist and a club-leading three clear-cut chances created from four starts. Vukcevic offers a genuine attacking threat from left wing-back but has not held the shirt.
RCM: Léo Leroy – 61% – Eight chances created, three of them clear-cut, and seven completed take-ons from six starts. Leroy has flashes of quality without sustaining them across 90 minutes.
CM: Jordan Thompson – 65% – A goal, an assist, 32 passes into the penalty area, 60 into the final third and 15 corners. Thompson has taken on more dead-ball responsibility since Whiteman’s departure and has done it capably.
LCM: Alfie Devine – 66% – Twenty chances created, 52 passes into the penalty area, 92 into the final third and 26 corners are all club-leading figures, with 17 possessions regained in the middle third. Devine is the one Preston player consistently making things happen; an error leading to a goal is the blot.
RST: Callum Lang – 62% – Three goals from a club-high 14 shots with six on target, and 21 touches in the opposition box. Forty-five duels lost and 14 fouls are the highest figures in the side, which is what happens to a forward in a team under this much pressure.
LST: Johnny Kenny – 69% – Two goals from 13 shots in only three starts and 228 minutes, the best scoring rate at the club. Kenny has a strong case for a longer run in the side.
Preston’s set-piece specialists
- Penalties: Callum Lang
- Free-kicks: Alfie Devine, Jordan Thompson
- Corners: Alfie Devine, Jordan Thompson
Alfie Devine has taken 26 of Preston’s corners to Jordan Thompson’s 15, and the pair have had two direct free-kicks each. Preston are yet to be awarded a penalty, and with Ben Whiteman – last season’s taker and captain – having joined Wrexham, the duty is genuinely open; Callum Lang, the leading scorer, is the likeliest candidate.
Preston FAQs
How have Preston started the 2026/27 season?
Very poorly. Preston are 23rd on four points from eight games, with one win and six defeats, and have conceded 15 goals.
Who is Preston’s best player this season?
Goalkeeper Daniel Iversen on 70%, with 25 saves. Johnny Kenny is next on 69% from three starts, and Alfie Devine leads the outfield regulars with 20 chances created.
Where did Preston finish in the 2025/26 Championship season?
Preston North End finished 14th in the EFL Championship, securing a comfortable mid-table position during Paul Heckingbottom’s second season in charge.
Who is the Preston manager?
Paul Heckingbottom is the manager of Preston North End. The former Sheffield United boss took charge at Deepdale in August 2024.
Who is the current Preston captain?
Ben Whiteman, who held the armband from July 2024, joined Wrexham in the summer. Preston have not confirmed a permanent successor, with Jordan Thompson and Daniel Iversen among the senior figures in the side.