Lee Nicholls makes Huddersfield Town transfer revelation after Preston switch | OneFootball

Nicholls recently completed a move to Preston North End, after his five-year stay with Huddersfield Town reached a conclusion this summer.

Huddersfield Town will be looking to make a serious push for a top-six finish in League One next season, after a frustrating campaign last term.

The Terriers finished ninth in the third-tier standings in the 2025/26 season, and a poor run of results in the second-half of that campaign ultimately proved costly.

It's seemingly a summer of change at Huddersfield, with players leaving the club, as they look to prepare for the new League One season, which gets underway in August.

Lee Nicholls is the latest departure, with the goalkeeper joining Championship side, Preston North End for an undisclosed fee, which brought an end to a five-year spell with the Terriers for the 33-year-old.

Nicholls first signed for Huddersfield back in 2021, after signing for the club when his contract with MK Dons reached a conclusion, and it's safe to say that he went on to make a positive impact with the Yorkshire-based side.

Lee Nicholls issues reluctant Huddersfield Town exit stance

Speaking in a recent interview for Preston's official website, Nicholls issued an insight into his Huddersfield departure, and hinted that his move was somewhat out of his own hands.

"It was a bit unexpected going into the summer. Things happen, and football moves," Nicholls told the in-house PNE media team.

"As soon as I heard it was a possibility, and after speaking to a few people within the club, it's something that I'm really excited about now, and I can't wait to get going.

"I haven't had much say in what happened. It's been more behind the scenes and stuff. When I got asked the question 'do I want to get it done', it was a 'yes, let's do it'.

"It's something that makes sense for everyone around me, and it's something that I'm really looking forward to. I can't wait to get going, and can't wait to meet all the lads, and see where it goes."

Nicholls made 178 appearances in total for Huddersfield Town across his five years with the club, with three of those being played in the Championship.

He was a regular in the team during the 2025/26 season, but was absent in their final four league games of the campaign, and he could be tough to replace.

Huddersfield have signed Sunderland youngster Matty Young on loan for the upcoming campaign after his previous stints at Salford City in League Two, but whether he is capable of filling the void left by Nicholls moving forward remains to be seen.

Nicholls won't have to wait long to potentially face is former club, as Preston North End were draw against Huddersfield Town in the Carabao Cup.

The shot-stopper revealed that he's looking forward to being given the chance to say goodbye to the club's supporters ahead of that clash in the cup, which is due to take place on the August 8.

"It'll be good to sort of say goodbye to the fans," Nicholls added.

"Part of me wishes it was away at Huddersfield, but it'll be good to see them, and good to show what I can do."

It's evident that Nicholls didn't initially have any plans to depart the Accu Stadium this summer, but with their swoop for Young, that appears to have changed the thinking of the Terriers hierarchy, and whilst he likely won't get in ahead of Daniel Iversen at Deepdale, he will at least be closer to his Liverpool roots.