Derby County head coach Paul Warne has recently revealed that he is hoping to sign “nine or ten players” ahead of the summer window which opens next week.
The Rams are back in the Championship after spending two seasons in League One. However, the club is far better run now under David Clowes compared to the last time they played in England’s second tier when Derby were on the brink of liquidation.
Nevertheless, Warne will be keen to keep his side in the Championship after earning promotion from League One back in April with a 2-0 win over Carlisle United. To do so, the club will need to be active in the transfer market to bolster the first-team squad ahead of what will be a gruelling task of surviving in one of the most difficult divisions in European football.
Joe Wildsmith – who kept more clean sheets than any other goalkeeper in League One this season – is set to leave the club at the end of the month and will need to be replaced. Meanwhile, Ebou Adams returned to Cardiff City from his loan spell at Pride Park. Journalist Alan Nixon revealed this past week that the Rams are hoping to sign a midfielder this summer, potentially as a replacement for the Gambia international.
While these two areas of the pitch need strengthening, Warne has revealed that Derby County may need nine or ten new arrivals to stave off relegation back to the third tier next season. Speaking to talkSPORT, the 51-year-old said [quotes via Derbyshire Live]:
“There is a massive step up, there’s no disputing it. The injection of extra cash helps, but you’re playing against teams that are already established in the Champ with established teams.
“And that’s the problem in that we have to try to be really competitive this season, we come up and we need to sign nine or 10 players, whereas you’re playing against teams that may only need to sign three or four. That’s the step up and that’s why you need the extra income.”
Writer’s View
It will be interesting to see how much transfer business Derby County complete this summer. Warne has said he needs nine or ten new players, but the likelihood is that the majority of these signings will be loan deals or free transfers.
The Rams had one of the biggest budgets in League One over the past two years but will now potentially have one of the smallest in the Championship next season, meaning the club will have to be astute during the transfer market if they want to avoid bouncing straight back down.
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