Derby County have been linked with a move for Irish striker Lee Bonis but the club faces an anxious wait as they submit their business plans to the EFL, as reported by Leigh Curtis of Derbyshire Live.
The Rams have been under a transfer embargo with the EFL and have had to follow a business plan as part of their agreement to come out of administration.
The club ended nine months of administration last July as property developer David Clowes bought the club to end a long period of heartbreak for fans like himself. Derby were relegated from the Championship, a 21-point deduction saw the club in trouble before a ball had even been kicked.
As they begin their rebuild, they turn their attention to a striker that many clubs have been monitoring in Lee Bonis whose excellent performances have been catching the eyes of plenty of scouts. However, with preparations beginning for the new season, the club are expected to submit a business plan to the EFL and will have to hope restrictions are eased on them in order to complete a deal.
Lee Bonis.
Bonis has been linked with many clubs in England as plenty are seeking to bring about a deal to bring the striker over. The 23-year-old striker joined Larne in January last year from Portadown and has been tearing it for the side, lifting them to the top of the table, where they currently sit six points clear.
He has featured 29 times for the Northern Irish club this season and has put himself on the scoresheet 12 times and assisted nine goals in the process. And these performances are gaining the attention of plenty of clubs in England with Derby set to battle it out with other League One teams to capture his signature.
The striker has also featured twice for the Northern Ireland under-21 side but has not managed to find the net for his country in either of those appearances.
Bolstering their attack.
Derby missed out on the playoffs on the final day as they struggled to find the net against Sheffield Wednesday. A controversial red card for defender Curtis Davies which led to the resulting penalty being converted saw the Rams fall to defeat and miss out on the playoffs as Peterborough won at Barnsley.
Not only have they made plans to bring Bonis to Pride Park, but Paul Warne has opened talks with veteran striker David McGoldrick who was the club’s top scorer this season. The 35-year-old found the back of the net 22 times in League One this season and set up five goals.
Complicated times.
Financially it is a difficult time for the club, who are still recovering from entering administration and their relegation from the Championship.
It would not be an ideal situation for the Rams to still be operating under the restrictions which they have been placed under going into next season also. In January, Paul Warne discussed these restrictions and how they would have made any deals in January even harder, with the club not being able to exchange any fees for any arrivals.
Despite this, Warne was confident of bringing in new faces, stating that what he had at Pride Park was a project players would love to be a part of and that fees are very rarely involved at this level of the game.
What’s been said?
Leigh Curtis of Derbyshire Live reports that the club are confident of bringing in Bonis from Larne, but will be facing an anxious wait as they submit their plans to the EFL.
With the club facing another season in League One after missing out on the playoffs, there is a chance they could still be operating under these restrictions next season. However, they will submit their business plan and hope that it leads to a situation where they can bring their target to the club.
Writers View.
It is certainly a difficult time for Derby County fans and with another season in the third tier to come for them, you can only imagine how heartbreaking it must be for them following their hopes of returning to the Championship.
For now, it is time to be patient and with Lee Bonis and the praise he has received, he will certainly be a marquee signing for any League One club who can get his signature.
It will be an anxious wait for the start of the season for many Derby fans.