Derby County have been urged not to sign Rotherham United shot-stopper Viktor Johansson this summer following recent rumours linking the Swede with a move to Pride Park.
The Rams earned promotion back to the Championship on the final day following a comfortable 2-0 victory over Carlisle United at home. This result was also the 20th clean sheet of the season for Paul Warne’s men as goalkeeper Joe Wildsmith saw off Lincoln City‘s Lucas Jensen to clinch the Golden Glove award.
Warne, now a four-time promotion winner in League One, put together a formidable defence throughout the campaign. Derby boasted the best defensive record in the division this term, conceding just 37 goals in 46 matches.
As the footballing cliche goes, attack wins you games, defence wins you titles. In this case, Derby County didn’t win a title, but it did take them back to the Championship for the first time in two years following relegation under Wayne Rooney in 2022.
Warne leaned heavily on his defence this season to see out tight games. Derby had merely the fifth-best attacking record in England’s third tier this term but no team conceded fewer goals than the Rams. One of the key factors behind this brick wall at the back was having Wildsmith in net.
However, according to reports in recent weeks, the manager is keeping tabs on Johansson’s situation at Rotherham after the Millers were relegated from the Championship. The Sweden international has a £900,000 release clause and there have been rumours that Warne is keen to reunite with the 25-year-old, whom he coached for two years at the New York Stadium.
Nevertheless, Sheffield Wednesday legend Carlton Palmer believes bringing Johansson to Pride Park would be harsh on Wildsmith after his superb displays in net throughout the campaign. Speaking to Football League World, the EFL pundit said:
“This is a difficult one, this one, I can understand that Paul Warne would be in pole position to sign Viktor, having managed the player before.
“But I think he will have a real big problem, as Joe Wildsmith has been very impressive for Derby County this season and if you’re going to sign somebody like Viktor, he is going to come in as your number one goalkeeper, whereas Wildsmith has picked up all the accolades this season.
“He has won the Golden Glove; he has been absolutely outstanding for Paul Warne this season. 20 clean sheets, so I think the problem that Paul Warne has, that’s why he’s probably being linked with a Johannson is Wildsmith’s contract is up at the end of the season.”
Joe Wildsmith. Golden Glove winner 👏🧤#DCFC pic.twitter.com/9vtTtMhaRk
— Derby County (@dcfcofficial) April 27, 2024
Writer’s View
Warne will need to make a decision very soon over the future of Wildsmith. The goalkeeper’s contract runs out in a matter of weeks and it’s unclear whether he will be staying on at Derby County. If not, they will certainly need a new man between the sticks.
However, there are a number of other clubs interested in signing Johansson this summer as a result of his relatively cheap release clause. If Derby fail to acquire the Swede’s services, letting Wildsmith go could be a big mistake.
Deputy Head of Writing
