Preston North End must make bold transfer call to solve Daniel Iversen issue | OneFootball

After injuries to their number one midway through and at the end of the season, Preston should be considering their options for another goalkeeper

Preston North End's 2025-26 season awards were handed out after their final day defeat to Southampton earlier this month, and to the surprise of very few, goalkeeper Daniel Iversen was named the Sir Tom Finney Player of the Year for his stellar return campaign to Deepdale.

He also won the Players’ Player of the Year award, marking the second time he has scooped both of these accolades for the Lilywhites – he did the same whilst on loan with the club during the 2021/22 season.

There was a near two-month stretch this season where Iversen was out with a groin injury, between January and mid-March. During this time, Preston played 10 league games and won just one - his impact to the team very evident.

Iversen was also subbed off during the final game of the campaign after suffering a back spasm, as explained to the Lancashire Post by manager Paul Heckingbottom. After his removal, North End conceded twice in a defeat to now play-off finalists Southampton with Dai Cornell in-between the sticks.

It’s clear that without their number one in goal, Preston’s form suffers. In the coming summer window, they need to remedy this and look for reliable squad depth in between the sticks.

Daniel Iversen's Preston North End understudies have underwhelmed

In the summer window last year, Iversen returned to Deepdale, but Paul Heckingbottom also brought in Luton Town stopper Jack Walton, in a move that went fairly under the radar.

Despite two impressive seasons on loan with Dundee United, it was a forgone conclusion that Walton would not displace Iversen in the starting 11. However, it was depth in between the sticks that North End desperately needed.

After the free departure of previous first choice Freddie Woodman, Preston were left with just veteran Dai Cornell on the books ahead of 2025/26 before any signings were made.

When Iversen went down, Walton was given a fair crack at the whip in the league after two prior games in the EFL Cup, but back-to-back defeats to Derby County and Hull City followed immediately.

In his third league game, Preston, still just about play-off hopefuls at the time, were crushed 4-0 by fellow promotion hunters Middlesbrough. The game was wholly a defensive horror show for the Lilywhites, and Walton earned criticism for his part in flapping away a free kick for a rebound for the last of Boro’s goals.

Three games, three defeats and eight goals conceded seemed to be enough to convince Heckingbottom to roll the dice with nearly 35-year-old Cornell for the visit to eventually promoted Ipswich Town, which ended with a much-improved PNE side holding the Tractor Boys to a 1-1 draw.

Through six further games, Heckingbottom stuck with Cornell as North End overcame Portsmouth, but were held or beaten in all their other matches prior to Iversen’s return, including conceding an embarrassing last-minute winner to local rivals Blackburn Rovers.

Preston North End need better goalkeeper depth in case of Daniel Iversen emergency

At the time of Iversen’s injury in mid-January, Preston were fourth in the Championship and inside the play-offs by two points. By the time of his return, they were 14th and outside the play-offs by eight points.

Whilst the club’s drop-off in form was not entirely due to the change in between the sticks, it’s hard to ignore the coincidental timings.

Iversen is not an injury-prone player, having only been sidelined one previous time before January during his career – a hip injury during a loan spell with Belgian side OH Leuven from Leicester City in 2020.

Still, his withdrawal at half-time during the Southampton game will worry some fans. What if Preston had maintained their play-off push all season, and now had to face some of the league’s best without their starting goalkeeper?

It’s likely that Heckingbottom would’ve turned to Cornell, as he did for the final 45 minutes of the season. By mid-April, Walton was seen as expendable enough by Preston's decision makers to loan to League Two promotion hunters Cambridge United, when the U’s designated number one was suspended.

Should this be the scenario the club find themselves in next season, especially with the Championship’s expanded play-off format, would a then 36-year-old Cornell be the man to guide Preston to the Premier League in the absence of Iversen? Almost certainly not.

Paul Heckingbottom should consider his goalkeeping options this summer

After bringing in 16 new faces throughout 2025/26 and only paying for four of them, Preston proved that they can be shrewd with their shopping and spending.

One thing they might consider is looking at the sides who finished in the bottom three in the Championship for players who want to maintain a second-tier standard of football. Oxford United’s Jamie Cumming would be a prime candidate. He has kept 21 clean sheets in two full Championship seasons with his current side.

Preston tried this approach last summer with Walton, but it’s worth noting that he was not a part of the active squad makeup for Luton when Heckingbottom brought him to Deepdale. Cumming was a key cog in an Oxford side that were only relegated by four points.

With that considered, it’s likely that the now League One outfit will drive a hard bargain, which could mean North End have to look elsewhere. If that’s the case, maybe turning their attention to Cumming’s old stomping ground would be worth it.

Chelsea currently have a plethora of goalkeepers in their squad. They have four in their senior team, three more in their U21’s, and two that have spent the 2025/26 campaign on loan elsewhere.

Put simply, there is not enough room for all of those bodies in the dressing room. Are Teddy Sharman-Lowe or Gaga Slonina ever going to displace Robert Sanchez or Filip Jorgensen? Neither has ever made a senior appearance for the Blues, but both have experience on loan in the EFL.

Sharman-Lowe is a Burton Albion academy graduate, and he was crucial to Doncaster Rovers’ League Two title success in 2024/25. He also played almost every game for eventual League One play-off finalists Bolton Wanderers during the first half of 2025/26, before being recalled by his parent club in January.

Slonina, who stands at 6'4", was a regular feature for League One side Barnsley during the first half of this campaign before an injury saw his loan spell curtailed. Added to that, he also holds the distinction of being the youngest ever goalkeeper to play for the United States Men’s National Team, at 18 years old, in January 2023.

If Preston North End have any true desire to finally reach the play-off places in 2026/27, they need to be watertight in all areas of the pitch. One injury can’t be enough to derail their season for any length of time, and bringing in some good goalkeeping competition could be how they can stop recent history repeating itself.