Derby County are not set to make a move to sign free-agent defender Darnell Fisher, as per reports from Leigh Curtis of Derbyshire Live.
The Rams had been linked with the former Rotherham full-back as his contract came to an end with Championship outfit Middlesborough, meaning the 29-year-old is available at no cost for his services.
Last month Darren Witcoop of The Sunday Mirror reported via his Twitter that the Rams were leading the race to secure Fisher’s signature, however, Curtis played down these rumours during his most recent Q&A for The Derbyshire Live stating: “some of the names you see like Fisher are wide of the mark”.
Derby are currently preparing for the new season and with pre-season beginning next month, Paul Warne will be looking to bolster his defensive options when the window opens next week, as they begin their second attempt at returning to the Championship.
The Rams narrowly missed out on the playoffs last season as a controversial penalty in their final day encounter with Sheffield Wednesday saw them fall to defeat and slip out of the playoff spots on goal difference as Peterborough crept their way in.
Fisher began his senior career with Scottish giants Celtic, making just 21 appearances for the club, before making the switch to England where he enjoyed spells with Rotherham United and Preston North End. The 29-year-old was at the Riverside Stadium for two years, but only featured 13 times for the club and only made one appearance in the past campaign. Of course, that is not entirely based on form as injuries have impacted his playing time.
Fisher and Warne have worked together in the past as the right-back was part of the Rotherham squad during Warne’s time as interim manager, it would be shortlived however, with the full-back making 19 appearances during the 2016/17 season for the Millers before departing South Yorkshire for Preston North End after just one season.
Paul Warne and Derby County will be looking to get their recruitment right over the next few weeks, especially with injuries that hit their squad last season as well as focusing their efforts on tying down key players like David McGoldrick to new deals.
Writer’s View
Next season looks to be a good chance for Derby County to earn themselves promotion back to the Championship looking at League One on paper, they are certainly one of the strongest teams in the division. They will be looking to be careful as they are still restricted to limited spending despite being free to spend some money. New deals for players such as McGoldrick will be key for the Rams as well as avoiding dealing with an injury-hit squad next season, making it a smart decision to not sign Fisher with his history of injury.
