Preston North End’s 2025/26 season has been similar to previous seasons.

After a promising first half of the season that put them safely inside the play-off spots by the New Year, a disastrous January and February saw the Lilywhites drop to the bottom half of the league, eventually settling for 14th place by the end of the season.

During the decade since their well remembered elevation back to the second division by winning the play-offs for the first time on their tenth attempt, they have finished as high as seventh in the Championship table in 2017/18 and as low as twentieth in 2024/25.

Even with the Championship play-offs due to grow from four to six teams in the upcoming 2026/27 season, duplicating the format of the National League, PNE has only finished in the top eight once in the last 11 years, which does not fill the fanbase with excitement.

While the club’s stability is admirable, as is the fact that they have managed to establish themselves as second-tier regulars without Premier League relegation parachute payments or large loans, there is a growing belief among Preston’s supporters that a change at the top is required to reignite any hopes of reaching the promised land.

PNE’s current owners have been in charge for more than fifteen years.

The Hemmings family, led by patriarch and local billionaire businessman Trevor Hemmings, has held a controlling interest in Preston North End since 2010, when Trevor, a previous partial shareholder, acquired majority ownership of the club to prevent an HMRC winding up petition issued on May 14th of that year from being acted on.

Trevor Hemmings died in 2021, leaving his son Craig as his successor. Craig assumed the job of PNE chairman at the time, but stepped down in October 2025. He is still one of the club’s directors, who, according to the club’s Company Details on their website, are responsible for management.

In a September 2022 club update from Craig Hemmings, the following was made public: “It costs roughly £24 million pounds every year to keep us going. As a result, we get about £2.3 million in season ticket revenue and an additional £7.3 million from the EFL and Premier League. After accounting for other income streams, my family faces an annual shortfall of approximately £12 million, which we must invest in the club each season.

This is an excellent illustration of the Hemmings family’s dedication to PNE ownership. Another illustration of their dedication is the due research they undertake on any prospective parties in purchasing the club from them.

Craig Hemmings cited an example of this due diligence that took place in 2022 in the same statement, where an unnamed party “claimed they had the ability to buy and invest to take the club forward”, but they “were able to determine soon enough that in this case it would not have worked”.

He concluded the statement by adding, “When and if the next interested party come along, we will work with them and if it can be demonstrated that they indeed are able to move the club forward we will be the first to stand aside” .

Interestingly, that day may be approaching soon.

Amr Zedan: The multimillionaire is apparently interested in buying PNE.

Sky News first reported in January that Amr Zedan, a US-born Saudi investor, was interested in investing in Preston North End.

Zedan is no stranger to sports ventures; he launched Zedan Racing Stables in 2016 and presently serves on the board of the Saudi Equestrian Authority and as chairman of the Saudi Polo Federation.

If he joins Deepdale, it will be his first step into football, but he has made earlier attempts. GOAL stated in 2022 that he was one of several individuals that made a public bid to buy Chelsea FC following Roman Abramovich’s exit from the club.

In recent weeks, however, there have been numerous reports that Zedan does not simply want to invest in Preston; he wants to acquire the club outright.

Alan Nixon reported in early April that Zedan’s proposal for the club was advanced, and that the Hemmings family is willing to sell the club for between £12 million and £15 million. As a bonus, Zedan is apparently looking to bring in an unknown local businessman to back up his efforts and persuade the current owners that he has the club’s best interests at heart.

To add fuel to the fire, Zedan has publicly expressed his support for the team by avidly watching their matches during the run-in. He stated on Instagram that he was watching their 2-2 away tie with Leicester City on April 3rd, and that he was at Deepdale for the club’s following game, a 1-1 home draw against QPR.

Fans and faces linked with Preston are divided over the possible takeover.

Since talk of the takeover has spread, followers have not been reluctant to express their thoughts on the subject, and some differ from others.

FLW’s own PNE fan commentator recently stated: “It’s been a long time coming. I believe we require a different direction, a new, fresh approach, and this is it. I feel like this is something different. We need a clean slate. This means everything. We just need to do things better this time.”

In contrast, Ian Bryson, who played for Preston from 1993 to 1997, recently told the Lancashire Post that the mismanagement of other Championship clubs by those in authority could be a reason not to be cautious. “When you look at what occurred to Sheffield Wednesday, the EFL is meant to put these folks (owners) through checks and other procedures.

“That has happened, but Sheffield Wednesday is in their current situation. They might even be sanctioned if they drop down to the following league. It is a travesty. Is Preston in a solid financial position? We’ve been doing so for quite some time, owing to the Hemmings family.

Even Preston’s current manager, Paul Heckingbottom, has weighed in on the situation, telling the Lancashire Post: “I’m not involved in the process. It is not my position. I’m in the same boat as everyone else, waiting for an official announcement, whether positive or negative, about whether or not it will happen.

“So yeah, I just hear the speculation like you guys, (but) getting clarity on where we are, whether it’s takeover, our budget, that type of thing, is a big thing for us to get rolling.”

Whatever happens this summer, Preston North End’s existing status as a mid-table Championship team might be fundamentally redefined. Takeover or not, the ever-elusive play-offs are expanding, giving teams like PNE a reason to battle harder than ever before for their shot.

A well-intentioned cash influx would be beneficial; just ask Wrexham. However, without the correct follow-up, it may not be worthwhile; just ask Sheffield Wednesday fans.