Derby County manager Paul Warne has criticised his squad and reaffirmed the need for new additions before the end of the summer transfer window.
Despite being one of the favourites to gain promotion from League One this season, the Rams have lost three of their opening four fixtures in all competitions and currently sit in 14th with just a solitary win under their belts.
After losing on the opening day against Wigan Athletic, the East Midlands side crashed out of the EFL Cup with a second successive home defeat against Blackpool before recovering to beat neighbours Burton Albion at the Pirelli Stadium last weekend. However, Warne’s team were unable to build on the momentum and went down 2-1 – again at Pride Park – to Oxford United on Tuesday night.
The loss of last season’s top goalscorer David McGoldrick has left a huge gap in the squad and it is no secret that Derby are keen to bring in a new striker before the end of the transfer window on September 1st.
Fleetwood will provide the opposition on Saturday, with the manager hoping that they can secure first home win of the campaign at the fourth time of asking. Speaking in his press conference earlier today – via Derbyshire Live – Warne didn’t hold back in his assessment of his players so far and once again called out for further additions to his squad;
“My issue is that I don’t think we have enough pace.
“That was evident against Oxford a few times. If you get outpaced in a game you end up sitting a little bit deeper and it’s harder to get out.
“All those sort of problems then come. I know we have a really good dressing room full of people who are desperate to win, but it’s also obvious that we need additions.
“It’s an easy get-out for any manager to come out and say it will be all right if we sign six new players, but that isn’t going to be the case.
“We need to get a better level of performance from all of us and I include myself in that. If we do then we have a good team – but we do need additions.”
Writer’s View
It’s not panic stations just yet, but Derby’s poor start will be a cause for concern for Paul Warne, more so because each defeat so far has come at Pride Park.
Winning at home is a must if you are wanting to challenge at the top end of the table and this is something that needs to be put right, starting this Saturday.
Derby have all the makings of an excellent squad, but the loss of McGoldrick to Notts County cannot be understated. They were so reliant on his goals last season and they have so far failed to find an ample replacement. There is still two weeks of the transfer window remaining, but this is a problem that the Rams have been trying to solve all summer.
Simply, time is running out.
Head of Writing
