2 Preston North End players who could follow Daniel Johnson out the exit door | OneFootball

With a month to go in the 2022-23 Championship season, Preston North End looked like sneaking up on their rivals to claim a lay-off spot following three wins on the spin - but they were then dealt a lesson in how ruthless the second tier of English football can be.

No sooner had they been given a chance to crack the top six was it taken away from them as a run of no wins from their last five matches ultimately put paid to their hopes and dreams, and it secured them a ninth-straight season in the Championship when the start of the 2023-24 campaign comes around.

There is some serious work to be done in the summer months however - exciting loanees Tom Cannon and Alvaro Fernandez have returned to their parent clubs and are unlikely to come back to Deepdale, whilst Ched Evans and Emil Riis are likely to still be sidelined at the start of the new season.

Contracts have been offered to most players with expiring deals but it's expected that Daniel Johnson will be one to depart, with Stoke City the likeliest destination for the Jamaica international to re-unite with Alex Neil, according to reporter Darren Witcoop.

Which other players could head out of the Deepdale exit door as well though? Let's take a look at two individuals who may follow Johnson by departing PNE.

Ben Whiteman

In January 2021, Whiteman was a statement signing for North End - other Championship clubs were chasing his signature but the Lilywhites jumped ahead quickly to sign the midfielder from Doncaster Rovers.

Whiteman took over the role played by Ben Pearson as the deepest lying midfielder and for two-and-a-half years he has been one of the club's most consistent players - but he is coming to a crossroads this summer with 12 months left on his contract.

Ryan Lowe has made it clear he doesn't want to sell his best players but ultimately everyone has a price, and PNE can't really risk potentially letting Whiteman depart on a free in 2024.

Whiteman leaving would be a painful one if it happened and no doubt he'd attract interest from higher up in the Championship, but it may be a necessary one for North End.

Josh Onomah

Onomah is one of several players who has been offered a contract extension with his short-term deal set to come to an end, and it's fair to say there was glimpses of his talent when he was on the pitch for PNE.

It took a while for the ex-Fulham midfielder to get fit and he didn't really start playing significantly until April, but there were times where his strength and intelligence were clear to see.

With a full pre-season under his belt, Onomah could be an asset to North End but with his promotion-winning experience with Fulham, clubs who can pay more money than North End are likely to be interested in offering him a contract as well.