Preston North End look likely to have a full squad re-jig in the summer, with plenty of players seeing their contracts run out and plenty more cast out of the team entirely.

With a new man at the helm in Ryan Lowe too, he'll want to ensure that the first-team is fit and firing and ready to achieve his goals in the next Championship campaign.

That could mean plenty of incomings from North End when they managed to offload some of their current side - and despite having one of the more modest budgets in the division, there will be plenty of transfer dealings that need to take place.

Now, Lowe has admitted via the club's official Twitter that he is indeed looking ahead to the summer transfer window and that he hopes to do some early business when the window first opens - as well as having a clearout as expected.

The current North End team is certain jam-packed full of players. They've had to leave plenty out of their 25-man squad over the course of the season because of it, including last year's summer signing Matthew Olosunde.

Even more have been shipped out on loan, with Josh Harrop heading to Fleetwood and Tom Bayliss also set to return after a short-term deal with Wigan in League One.

Lowe though will want to ensure that he has a settled squad going into the pre-season if he can and that he also has plenty of players available to him that he likes - and that aren't from previous managerial regimes.

Speaking to the club's Twitter about it today then, he said: "I don’t want a massive squad, I want a squad to compete and I want quality over quantity.

"We have identified targets and we are working hard on those already, hopefully we can get a couple of those in early doors."

The Verdict

It is a sensible approach from Ryan Lowe and it is to be expected from a new manager in all honesty.

Preston have a squad packed full of players that he himself hasn't signed. The only two in the team right now that he brought in are Cameron Archer, who will return to Aston Villa, and Bambo Diaby who will probably be tied down to fresh terms come the end of the campaign.

It leaves the rest of the squad available for a sort out then. Considering the size, Lowe will have his work cut out trying to chop and change the PNE team over just one summer but if he can bring in some of his own players and ship out a few bits of deadwood over the transfer window, then it will be a job well done.

If he can move to make signings early and shape his team before pre-season starts, it will also stand him in good stead to have a good run at potentially the play-offs next season.