Paul Warne plans to add to his Derby County squad when the January transfer market opens next month.
Adding extra firepower to the Rams attack is high on Pride Park’s priority list as the club looks to have a good second half of the season. But before there can be incomings, there must be outgoings, since Derby are now at a 25-man squad maximum.
Given their lack of first-team experience this season, numerous players are likely to leave in January. Leigh Curtis looks at the possibilities who could make permanent or loan moves in the New Year…
Conor Washington
The striker has yet to play in the Championship this season, and his chances of breaking into the squad remain slim.
Warne indicated last week that he would not be surprised if the striker wanted to leave in January, and he is scheduled to meet with Washington. He has made 21 appearances since joining from Rotherham last summer.
“I’ve had very honest conversations with Conor and simply said, ‘Look, you’ll have to wait for an opportunity.'” If he hasn’t got any opportunities by January, and I understand how the world works, he could choose to play elsewhere. He has not stated this, but as a player, I would agree. If I knew my options were limited, I’d prefer to play somewhere else.
“As you get older, you become impatient. You don’t want to squander anything, but if it’s best for the club for him to stay, we’ll make the decision.
“As with all my players, I like to think I have 100 per cent respect both ways. We will have a chat about it and come to a decision.”
Sonny Bradley
This season, the centre-back has made only five appearances for Derby, the last of which came as a substitute in a 2-1 win at Coventry.
With Curtis Nelson and Eiran Cashin firmly established in the starting lineup, and Nat Phillips on loan from Liverpool, the defender’s chances of first-team play are slim.
He did not appear on the bench for the weekend’s defeat to Sheffield Wednesday, and the 33-year-old, who is in the final year of his contract, would undoubtedly have suitors if he were available for transfer.
Tawanda Chirewa
The midfielder is on loan from Wolves, but an injury has kept him from competing for a first-team spot.
He has only played twice since leaving Molineux on a season-long loan from the Premier League club.
Injuries have not helped his cause, but he has returned to training and played for the under-21s against Chelsea last week, resulting in a 6-2 defeat.
The Zimbabwe international faces a key month in terms of establishing himself in the reckoning. If not, it’s a loan deal that both Wolves and Derby may agree isn’t working out. If that happens, at least one loan place will become available.
Jake Rooney
The defender has had bad luck with injuries, requiring surgery on his anterior cruciate ligament last season after falling awkwardly in a defeat to Bolton Wanderers.
He then performed admirably to bring himself back fit for pre-season but another knee ailment hampered his ambitions to be part of the squad this season.
Rooney has been back for a few weeks and has been playing with the under-21s to improve his fitness. Last week, Warne indicated he couldn’t rule out a loan move for the former Burnley defender to offer him competitive first-team minutes.
“I need to have a conversation with Jake and every option is open to him to discuss with me,” Warne told reporters. “We’ll talk to him and his representative together and see what works best. I feel bad for him because he recovered well from his first injury, but he is clearly low down the pecking order right now.
“What I don’t want is for him to stagnate and regress in the next three or four months. If there is a chance for him to return to the first team and play, I assume that would be his decision.
“But if it is tough and not as quick as he would want, you should look into loans. We’ll talk, but there’s constant monitoring. What you think today is not the same as what you will think next week.
“One day, he might decide that a loan move is best for minutes, and I accept that. However, if we have two or three injuries, he may believe the situation is better. We’ll sit down and have a proper conversation.
