Boss admits 'a lot of work' needs done on star despite making Celtic transfer raid for ace official
Former Leeds United, Hibs and Sheffield United boss is excited about new signing
Preston North End boss Paul Heckingbottom claims there is ‘a lot of work’ to do with new signing from Celtic Johnny Kenny.
The 23-year old Republic of Ireland international striker finalised his deal from Glasgow to the EFL Championship side on a four-year deal for a fee believed to be in the region of £3m. Kenny impressed south of the border last season during his Bolton Wanderers loan spell, helping the Greater Manchester club achieve promotion from League One with six goals in 14 appearances after signing in January.
The combined £17m signings of strikers Camilo Duran and Kasper Hogh pushed Kenny further down the selection pecking order at Celtic Park. Overall he scored seven goals for the Hoops in 32 appearances since signing from local side Sligo Rovers in January 2022.
Preston boss claims there’s still work to be done amid Kenny addition
The Lilywhites find themselves bottom of the Championship and are yet to register a single point in four games. Current boss Paul Heckingbottom - who had previous spells at Leeds, Hibs and Sheffield United - believes Kenny can help them climb up the table with his movement and prolific record, but also admits he isn’t the finished article just yet.
Upon signing the striker, he said: "He's a player who likes to play on the last line and make runs in behind; he's a sharp player. He's lively in the box and will look to get shots off, left foot, right foot. He works hard for the team. We need to do a lot of work with him tactically in terms of how we're going to use him but that's the exciting bit now."
Celtic wished Kenny all the best in his new chapter after four-and-a-half years of service. While at the club, he also enjoyed short term loan spells with second tier side Queen’s Park and League of Ireland champions Shamrock Rovers. The club said via X: “Johnny Kenny has joined Preston North End on a permanent transfer. Thank you, Johnny. Best of luck for the future!”
Preston statement on Kenny signing
A statement from Deepdale read: “Preston North End can confirm the signing of striker Johnny Kenny on a permanent deal from Celtic. The 23-year-old has penned a four-year contract at Deepdale and becomes North End’s 10th addition of the summer.
“Johnny came through the ranks at Sligo Rovers and scored 12 goals for the Irish club in 2021 at the age of 18, whilst also making his UEFA Europa Conference League debut that same year. After joining Celtic in 2022, he enjoyed an incredibly successful loan spell with Shamrock Rovers, which saw him find the back of the net 25 times.
“He returned to Celtic at the back end of the 2024/25 season and scored his first senior goal for the Glasgow side as they lifted their fourth successive league title. After netting on seven occasions for Celtic in the first half of last season, Johnny was loaned to Bolton Wanderers in January 2026.
“The striker scored six goals and provided three assists in 14 matches for Bolton, helping them achieve promotion to the Sky Bet Championship via the play-offs. Johnny made his international debut for the Republic of Ireland in November 2025, playing 30 minutes in their famous 3-2 comeback win over Hungary.