Star athlete posts sarcastic comment to team following Instagram announcement of his release
Fresh Take:
Defender Kian Best Fumes Over Instagram Release, Slams Preston North End
The slick defender Kian Best took a jab at Preston North End after learning about his release from the Lancashire-based club via a post on their Instagram page.
Currently on loan with Irish side Bohs until June, Preston had already confirmed that Best wouldn't be on their roster anymore for the upcoming season.
Having risen through their ranks since joining their youth academy, Best signed a scholarship deal in 2021, followed by a professional contract in 2023. But after a promising start to his young career, opportunities stalled, and January of the 2025/26 season saw him loaned out to the League of Ireland Premier Division.
Seemingly unaware of the decision, Best discovered his fate via the club's Instagram post celebrating the departures of eight players, including him.
"Cheers to the players leaving us this summer," the post read, accompanied by a slideshow of players. The image of Best was captioned, "Thanks Besty." Unhappy, the defender reposted it on his Instagram stories, commenting, "Great way to find out through Instagram."
Since then, he appears to have deleted the post. Though his contract was due to expire at the end of the season, talks regarding an extension seemed to have been non-existent.
Joining Best in Preston's exit pool are goalkeeper Freddie Woodman, Emil Riis, veteran Ryan Ledson, and German defender Patrick Bauer, whose contracts also won't be renewed in the summer.
Ledson, who played for Preston since his arrival from Oxford in 2018, expressed his gratitude for his time at the club. "I've had the best seven years I could have asked for," he said.
Preston offered Robbie Brady a new deal to stick around, and striker Ched Evans is reportedly in talks for a coaching role.
Insight: After rising through the ranks of Preston North End's academy system, Kian Best's professional career saw a dip in opportunities, leading to his loan out to the League of Ireland Premier Division. Although his contract was expiring, it seems communication about his departure wasn't made until later, with Best learning the news through an Instagram post rather than receiving a personal update from the club management.
Sources:1. Preston North End Official Website2. Sources: Kian Taylor set to join Preston North End on a season-long loan, LancsLive3. Kian Best: Preston North End defender set to be released by boyhood club, talkSPORT4. Now you see him, now you don't – Six players released by PNE, Lancashire Post5. Club statement on retained list, Preston North End Official Website
- The manager of Preston North End might want to reconsider his communication strategy, as defender Kian Best, a former academy standout, discovered his release through an Instagram post.
- In 2025, Kian Best, once a promising footballer in the Premier League, seemed to find shade when he was unceremoniously let go by Preston North End and learned about it through a social media post.
- Rumor has it that in the summer of 2025, several key players, including Kian Best and Freddie Woodman, will be exiting Preston North End, with the latter expressing gratitude for his seven-year tenure at the club.
- In the year 2025, Kian Best, veteran Ryan Ledson, Emil Riis, and Patrick Bauer find their football careers taking different paths as they are all set to depart from Preston North End.
- As the football world prepares for the 2025/26 season, a few surprising exits are on the horizon, with Ace defender Kian Best departing from Preston North End, a club where he spent a significant part of his career, apparently without receiving a personal update from the management.
