Who is Will Keane? Strengths and weaknesses of Preston North End’s latest signing

Preston North End swooped to sign Will Keane from Wigan Athletic on Friday night. The forward has put pen-to-paper on a deal until June 2025 at Deepdale.

He has joined for an undisclosed fee following the Latics’ relegation to League One last season. Here is a look at his strengths and weaknesses...

Strengths

Keane will provide strong competition and depth in attacking areas for Preston ahead of the next campaign. He is an experienced player who has made 247 appearances in his career to date.

He already knows the club which is a boost after having a loan spell back in 2015 as a youngster from Manchester United. The ex-Hull City and Ipswich Town man is also arriving after a decent spell at Wigan and found the net 50 times in 128 games for the Latics.

Using statistics from Wyscout, he had a passing accuracy of 84.4% last term which shows he rarely loses the ball when he gets it. He chipped in with 12 goals last season which isn’t a bad return for a relegated team.

He also had 55 shots on target in the 3552 minutes that he played in which suggests he isn’t afraid to test goalkeepers. At 6ft 2inc, Keane will give the side an aerial option up top as well which is useful for a plan B in games.

Weaknesses

At the age of 30, this isn’t a long-term addition by Preston. A lot of clubs in the Championship tend to sign younger players and develop them with a view to selling them on in the future.

Keane has also had his injury problems in his career and Ryan Lowe will be hoping he stays fully fit throughout the course of his time with the Lilywhites. He has proven that when he can stay injury-free he is a useful option at second tier level.