Preston North End signs Duane Holmes on a two-year deal

Preston North End has announced the signing of US international Duane Holmes from Huddersfield Town on a two-year contract.

The 28-year-old midfielder has almost 200 appearances in the Championship and has participated in two second tier Play-Off campaigns.

Holmes, who was born in Georgia, United States, moved to Yorkshire at a young age and began his football career with Huddersfield.

Following permanent moves to Scunthorpe United and Derby County, he returned to Huddersfield's John Smith’s Stadium in 2021 before finalizing his move to Deepdale for an undisclosed fee.

Expressing his excitement about the new venture, Holmes said, “I’m very happy. I spoke to the manager last week and thankfully it’s all gone through pretty quickly."

He added, “I played against Preston a lot last year and the way we want to play is good. The lads look really fit, really sharp and I’m excited to be a part of it.”

Ryan Lowe, the manager of Preston North End, praised the new addition.

“Duane’s going to be a good addition for us and he’s one I’m excited about because he’s a creator and he can score goals," Lowe said.

"He’s a solid Championship player for many years. He’s a good footballer who can carry the ball, and he knows his roles and responsibilities."

Having played with Holmes early in his career, Lowe added, “I’ve known Duane for many years since playing with him when he was just starting out and I’ve kept following his career."

With the start of the 2023/24 Sky Bet Championship campaign approaching, Lowe shared the club's ongoing efforts to strengthen the squad.

“We’ve added two players with a lot of quality in the past couple of days so I’m really pleased, and we’re in negotiations with a few other players so we’re looking to keep adding over the next few weeks.”