Following their weekend loss to QPR, Preston North End’s campaign is coming to an unsatisfactory conclusion.
A fortnight ago, the Lilywhites appeared to have a chance of making it to the play-offs, but those dreams have been shattered. With three straight losses to Queens Park Rangers, Southampton, and Norwich City, Ryan Lowe’s team will have to wait another year to compete in the Championship.
But under Lowe, North End does appear to be improving. The team has already finished in 13th and 12th place under his leadership, and they will almost certainly place in the top half.Preston and Middlesbrough are tied for first place in the play-offs, while Hull City and Coventry City are still fighting for a spot in the finals. On Monday night, Preston takes on Leeds United.Unless they continue to play poorly in their final two games, Cardiff City should finish ahead of PNE, as they are only four points behind North End in 11th place.
Considering they couldn’t sign anyone during the January transfer window, they could consider finishing in the top half of the standings a victory. You must be more astute in your transfer dealings if your team lacks a significant financial supporter or if the Premier League does not provide parachute payments. Milutin Osmajić, who North End signed for a club record in the summer, has scored eight goals in 34 games, which is a respectable return, but more will be required the following season.
Although it’s not always the secret to success, money can certainly help you reach your objectives. With two games remaining in the season for the majority of clubs, who has been the most prudent with their spending this season?
We can see which clubs are the most shrewd when it comes to player acquisitions thanks to TransferMarkt. They have crunched the numbers to see how much it costs a game for each of the 24 teams in the division, including Preston North End, Sunderland, Suffolk Town, and more, based on their squad market value.