Considerable Targets.

The emotionally charged season came to a turbulent end with defeat in the most expensive game of English football - the winner would bag the excess of £170m, and if the losing team were lucky, they'd get £5m. Winner takes all. And in this case, it wasn't us. Again.

After the conclusion of the season, the rumour mill begins, unsurprisingly, with Frank Lampard being linked to the potentially vacant manager's position at Chelsea as Maurizio Sarri looks increasingly likely to seek for an exit from the unrealistic expectations at Chelsea.

Somehow, in other ugly news, Jacob Butterfield is still a Derby County player.

After the departures of some players, and the impending and inevitable transfers of others - we will be looking fairly sparse in a couple of positions so there's some transfer targets, albeit potentially very unrealistic but hey, we're allowed to dream!

Goalkeeper:

Seeing as we are losing a goalkeeper or two in Jonathan Mitchell and Scott Carson, or possibly Henrich Ravas but it is looking very likely that we will lose at least one goalkeeper due to the fact we cannot promise them chances in gaining first team minutes so there are two different options we could go for. Both would be willing to fight for a first team place, and have the ability to do so, and both of them would push Roos to fight more as his reluctance in signing that new contract raised eyebrows.

Ortwin de Wolf -

The first option is Ortwin de Wolf, who currently plays for Sporting Lokeren in Belgium, who finished bottom of the Belgian first division so he might be looking for a transfer to a club who would have better chances of success(!). He is only 22 years old, and stands tall at 6'3", and is left footed but is particularly confident of using his right too which is always an useful foundation to have for a young player. He also has been capped by Belgium at under 21 level, and is currently in Italy for the u21 European Championships with the Belgian squad, and he also has got 28 first team appearances, all of them coming this season - his discipline record is almost squeaky clean too, picking up just a single yellow card in all 28 of his senior appearances. He also has conceded 35 goals in 21 games, which is not very ideal but if you take into record the fact that Lokeren finished bottom of table in a league with high scorers in Club Brugge and Genk (both teams scored 60+ goals each, as well as Standard Liege, Anderlecht, Gent and Sint-Truiden all being teams that has scored 45+ goals each - it's a particularly decent amount, and with such a leaky defence, there is only so much he can do. He could do a lot better, and concede a lot less if he had Keogh and Davies in front of him. His transfer value is £650,000 which would fit our budget, and we have the coaching staff to brush up his skills - him as a player has already got all the foundation skills required, and as a goalkeeper, is good enough. The best aspects of his game is that he's confident, alert and has got an excellent footballing brain. He reads the game well, has got an excellent ability to save long shots and is confident in blocking and collecting crosses, but a downside to him is that he can sometimes be overconfident and react late to some close range shots. However, bear in mind that he is 22 years old, he only turned 22 two months ago, so he is still of a very young age for a goalkeeper, and his value has only been increasing over the last two years so he has got a bright future and it would be sensible to invest now as part of our ambition in having a younger squad and lowering our average age.

Isak Pettersson -

Another option is Isak Pettersson, who currently plays for IFK Norrköping in the Swedish league, and they finished 2th place in the league, behind AIK and ahead of Malmo in third place, and they are in 7th place at the moment in their current season. He is also 22 years old, turning 22 just a week ago, so again, he is still very young in goalkeeping terms and has got another ten, fifteen years of his career to look forward to. He is slightly smaller than the ideal goalkeeper, at 5'11" but so was Iker Casillas, so height does not really matter that much - he has proved his ability in pulling off the saves closer to the goalposts and he has a squeaky clean discipline record, getting no yellow cards in all twelve of his senior appearances this season. Again, I know it is a risk in getting a player as young as him and he has got more senior appearances (55 club appearances in total) than de Wolf, but he has been the first choice for Norrköping this season and he has also been called up for the senior Sweden squad and gained his first cap recently, gaining it in January of this year against Iceland. He has also kept four clean sheets in his twelve senior club appearances, and conceded 15 in the six other fixtures - this figure is high due to a harsh defeat, 3-1 to Helsingborg and a high scoring victory, beating Falkenberg 4-3. He is right footed, and is particularly confident in using his left too so that is something that could be strengthened over the years, and he is also known for saving penalties (something we could do with) as well as having a strong distribution rate and has got a strong hand in saving long range shots. However, he can be nervy and is not entirely confident in himself, and I personally believe that is just due to his age and simply a lack of belief; that belief can be instilled quickly and his reactions can be a little slow, and again, that can be improved with training. His market value is £1m so that would fit into our low budget, and it might prove to be a hugely sensible investment, and just like de Wolf, his young age means our squad's average age would be lower which is an ambition.

Centre Back:

With the departure of loanee Fikayo Tomori, as well as Alex Pearce already agreeing a pre contract with Millwall for a transfer when his contract expires within the next few weeks, and the impending departure of Efe Ambrose when his contract runs out at the end of this month leaving us with just two senior centre backs - it's a position that critically needs acknowledging and improving. Fast. The two potential choices are expensive, but they both are certainly very worthy investments, and both options are of a young age so they would be long term replacements for the ageing defence we have in Curtis Davies and Richard Keogh.

Fikayo Tomori -

This is probably the most obvious choice of every Derby fan's dream centre back, Fikayo Tomori has been a stalwart alongside Richard Keogh last season, making 44 appearances in all competitions. He is 6' tall, ideal for a centre half, and he has been playing for the England under 21 set up, having gained 12 caps for them and the possibility of gaining further caps as he is in the England u21 squad for the European Championships. His discipline record is decent, having picked up 6 yellows in 38 league games and kept 11 clean sheets in all 44 appearances he made - we all know what we were like last season. He is also right footed, like most players, but he is considerably decent with his left foot and again, as per usual, that can be improved with training. His transfer value is way out of our budget though sadly, at £7m and Chelsea are asking for £10m for him - however if we are able to raise the funds required and dodge the FFP restrictions, and his agent might be another barrier although, as he will know that we have been working hard to raise money so he might demand higher fees in terms of agent fees and bonuses for Tomori himself. The biggest and the best aspect of his game is that he never pulls out of a challenge; he's one of the best in the division at putting in tackles, and he has got a high block rate as well as having a decent passing completion percentage. But the downside to him is that he has made some naive errors that was tidied up by Richard Keogh, and he puts in risky tackles that he was extremely lucky to get away lightly and he can lack composure sometimes, resulting in own goals. He still is an excellent defender, and might be one of the best centre backs I've seen at the club in recent years.

Anthony Caci -

At just 21 years old, soon to be 22 on July 1st, Anthony Caci is another player, and he is probably one of the best options on this list of transfer targets. His main position is as a centre back, but he can also play at left back which is a huge help as we always seem to have a crisis there, and he would provide cover for Scott Malone and whoever is the second choice, Max Lowe or Craig Forsyth providing they remain at the club. He is 6' tall, the same height as Fikayo Tomori, and he is right footed too, but is pretty good with his left foot too and he is excellent with ball control; he's a modern era player, full of skills and confidence as well as the maturity to know when to use those skills. He is French, and has recently been called up for the France under 21 squad for the European Championships so he might gain his first caps in the next few days, and he plays for Strasbourg in the French Ligue 1, and they finished 11th last season. His discipline record shows he's a pretty grounded player, receiving only a single yellow card in 29 league games, and he has conceded only 29 goals in 38 appearances in all competitions, keeping 8 clean sheets. The weakest aspect of his game is that he's not the best at aerial duels, and he often loses headers which is never the ideal quality for a centre half but he has proved to be able of cleaning up the errors and correcting them in regaining possession or moving into an alternative position where he is more likely to win headers or have the ball at his feet. He's a ball playing defender, which might suit our club better as we are constantly attempting to play out from the back under multiple different managers. He has also proven himself to be good at crossing, obviously a quality we need for a full back if he needs to play there. His versatility is something we could do with but his market value is higher than what we would like to spend under FFP restrictions; £3m but as he plays for a mid table club, he might be hungry for a challenge and will push for a move away, and as he is only 21, we could offer a sell on % to sweeten the deal.

Left Back:

At left back, we have always had a crisis there for some reason, it seems like it's cursed - we have lost Craig Forsyth and Marcus Olsson to long term injuries, and as of right now, for next season, we will only have Scott Malone and Max Lowe ready to report for pre season, with Ashley Cole and Marcus Olsson leaving the club as their respective deals ran out, and Craig Forsyth's fitness being questioned. Max Lowe will potentially leave the club on either a permanent transfer or on a loan deal as he has not performed up to the standard the club wants to see, therefore leaving us looking a little on the sparse side of coverage in that department, therefore it might be wise to invest on a long-term replacement as Ashley Cole was a shrewd signing albeit not promising years of coverage and we would see no gain of his departure as we would make no money. This player that I would like for us to ideally invest in is still of a young age, and still making rookie mistakes but with our training and development system, I believe that he will grow to be a much better player just like Jayden Bogle did on the right side of our defence last season.

Greg Taylor -

Kilmarnock finished 3rd in the Scottish Premier League last season, which came as a shock as they qualified for the qualifying stages of the Europa League; it was not exactly expected of them, and the shining star of this side is Greg Taylor. He is a left footed, 5'9" tall Scottish left back, with a transfer value of £540,000 - he would be a savvy investment if we take our chances now, and he has been capped for Scotland at the under 21 level, boasting 14 caps and he was recently called up for the senior squad, and picked up his first senior cap recently in that 3-0 loss to Belgium after Andy Robertson picked up an injury. His discipline record is beautifully clean for a Scottish player, picking up only two yellows in 31 league games, and he can also play in midfield if required, which might be ideal as we are often picking up injuries in our midfield - it never hurt anybody to have a back up plan. He has also kept 13 clean sheets in those 31 league appearances, and himself as a player has always succeed in knowing when to make appropriate runs, he is a player of such simplicity yet of high efficiency, and he is strong at putting in crosses as well as blocking them. His transfer value is just consistently increasing, suggesting that he will continue to improve over time; he is a distant reminder of Jayden Bogle at the start of pre season. Although easily discouraged, and is not confident at holding the ball, Taylor has got all the other foundations required to make it as a great left back, and the qualities he does not possess can be taught; he already carries the instinctive qualities required to make it big like Andy Robertson, and unsurprisingly, Hull are interested in making a move for him too.

Right Back:

With the news that Jayden Bogle might be on the move to a Premier League side and I would not be surprised to see Andre Wisdom go as he has barely got any playing time this season, it leaves us with barely any cover in the right back department. However, I believe Bogle will remain at Derby as I trust that he is smart enough to know that he still needs another season or two of development in the Championship. However, he will need back-up and Wisdom is not even making the matchday 18-man squad because he is inadequate. The replacement I have is often willing to fight for a place, and as I mentioned, unrealistic but we're allowed to dream. He has been a name widely covered in German football last summer but his recent transfer seems to have failed, and he might be seeking for a move away to reinvigorate his career again; where better than Derby where paps seem to love making up rumours about?

Lukas Klünter -

At a young age of 23, he turned 23 just three weeks ago, he is an exciting prospect with a good eye for a threaded pass that could split apart defences - he stands at 6'1" which could be a bigger advantage for us as he would be able to help out in defending set pieces and blocking crosses, an aspect we seem to have struggled to grasp, and he has got international expertise too, having gained three caps for the Germany under 21 squad. With a transfer value of £2.7m, he is a little pricey but that is to be expected for a player playing at this calibre at this age too - there is quite a bit of room to sweeten the deal although, such as bonuses and sell on percentages and the player himself might push for a move as he failed to settle at the club. He has picked up a single yellow and a single red card in all 10 of his league appearances for Hertha Berlin, the club he plays for who finished in 11th place - he has struggled to make the most of his time there, missing 6 of a possible 34 playable fixtures with an injury, and he did not make the squad in 12 fixtures. However, he was a shining star for FC Koln in the two seasons before their inevitable relegation from the top tier and I personally think the move was just unsuitable for all parties, Klünter suffered most of the impacts as his value has dropped and he has been overlooked for international duty as well as his match sharpness dropping therefore he might push for a move to a club that has got a more suitable style of playing, and Derby's style suits him better. Gain promotion with the club and put in stellar displays, that's his career reinvigorated. The potential he carries is massive, and he can be versatile too, having played mostly right back as well as a centre back, right midfielder and bizarrely, as a centre forward (he did score!) - versatility is something we are always on the prowl for, as proven with the signing of Graeme Shinnie who can play as a midfielder and as a left back. Klünter has got incredible passing and crossing ability, he just needs to brush up on his tackling skills, which could potentially be fixed quickly with proper training of a high standard, and he is decent at defending crosses and set pieces - a win win situation for us.

Central Midfielder:

Our midfield has been left looking very thin as loan deals for Andy King and Mason Mount expired, and with the likely departures of Bradley Johnson, George Thorne and Jacob Butterfield leaves us with options from George Evans, Tom Huddlestone, Duane Holmes and Max Bird although Craig Bryson's future is still left up in the air. Evans and Huddlestone are defensive midfielders, and we would need a proper central midfielder. As a central midfielder, I would be wanting them to have an excellent standard of a footballing brain, because they will need to be able to take the reins of a game and control it, be that strong, unbreakable link between the defence and the forward if we are to continue playing out from the back, and the two potential targets I have opted for are both in English football so they would have the best and most appropriate understanding of how football is played in this country, and they are masterminds at reading the game although their skills might not be on the same level (that can be improved with training!).

Alan Browne -

I'm not entirely sure how he has not been linked to any clubs, but Alan Browne is a remotely decent midfielder that has been central of Preston's wins in the previous two seasons and was a key player in helping them clinch 7th place (under Simon Grayson) and 14th place (under Alex Neil) in the Championship. He played a total of 47 games in all competitions in the 2017/18 season, netting 9 goals, then last season, he played a total of 38 fixtures and scored 12 goals ; proving he has improved massively in recent seasons. He is 24 years old, which is a decent age, contributing too with five assists, and he has been playing regularly for the Ireland senior men's squad, having been capped three times although injuries have prevented him from gaining further more caps. He is a skilled hand, or should I say foot, at penalties, having scored a handful in previous seasons and he's pretty good at winning them too, actually. He is 5'7" tall, but that doesn't really matter for midfielders; we have had 5'8" Craig Bryson and 5'5" Duane Holmes in midfield and these games were won, and Browne doesn't show any implications of his height in open play, challenging and winning headers and attempting to assist in defending and succeeding in that. He is also very good at putting in crosses as well as threading through passes and playing threatening key passes, all strengths that we could do more of within our squad, and he has got a high level of understanding the game; all that comes at a bargain, as his transfer value is only £1.8m.

Tom Bayliss -

A 20 year old midfielder from Coventry City (a team who impressively finished 8th on their return to the League 1), Tom Bayliss has been on our radar for quite a while, with us being subsequently linked with him for the past three or four transfer windows; he is the ideal player for us. 6'1" is tall for a midfielder, but that can be played into our hands as an advantage like Tom Huddlestone has done, and he is an English talent, which is never a bad thing! He has picked up 2 caps for England under 19s, and he would be seeking for a move to boost his chances of making the u20 or the u21 squads of the England set up - he is an avid Coventry City fan so that might make the move difficult but if he is keen on progressing as a football player, we would be the ideal destination for him. He has played 38 times in the league for Coventry, picking up a total of 6 yellow cards, and contributing with 3 goals and 3 assists; although, admittedly, he has not had the best season, he can play so much better but I think it was just a case of settling into the league and accepting that he has got to play to a higher standard. He is a natural at aerial duels, and has got an eye for a good pass as well as having a strong understanding and reading of the game - that, for me, is the biggest difference between a good and excellent player. You cannot be classed a great at the game if you don't understand it. His weaknesses is that he often makes rookie errors, but I think that's okay because he is only 20, and he does attempt to fix it every single time, and he has got the right approach to the game, he doesn't pull out of tackles, and another weakness he possesses is that he can get a bit fiery and loses that 100% focus required in the game, but I think that's just an element of his immaturity. He is still only 20, with his 20th birthday being just seven weeks ago, and he is always open and keen to learn, so if we got him, he'd only improve, and with his market value being at £950,000, it is not a costly mistake if he fails to adapt to us (highly unlikely as he is, like I said, keen).

Right Winger:

With the conclusion of Harry Wilson's loan deal and the disappointing faltering of summer signing Florian Jozefzoon as well as the surprising sale of academy graduate Luke Thomas to Barnsley, we have been left with very little options for the right winger position, with the left already covered by Tom Lawrence and Mason Bennett. Bennett is capable of playing on the right too but he's more of a super sub, and Nick Blackman looking unlikely to remain here for next season, and the very unlikely prospect of Ikechi Anya playing first team football any time soon seems a long way away - this does not fill anybody with any confidence, and it would be very wise to bring in someone reliable and a long-term solution to fill this position.

Dion Cools -

This man is definitely something special. He is a Belgian under 21 player, having picked up 15 caps and scored three goals, and is under the watchful eye of Roberto Martinez, the senior men's manager. Watching him is a joy, he plays with such confidence, and he carries such a willpower, a hunger, a strong desire for a win. He plays best as a right midfielder, but has got a strong ability to play as a right back or as a left back and his market value is a cool £2.25m which would be a very worthy investment considering the huge amount of talent he carries, and he's 6' tall, which is pretty much the perfect height for a football player. He currently plays for 2nd placed Club Brugge in Belgium, and has made 14 league appearances with a total of 340 minutes, with only one start so he might strive for a move to a smaller club, either on loan or on a permanent to develop quicker as Brugge might not give him the game time required to develop and take his career further. However, in those handful of league appearances, he has picked up a single yellow card, yet scored one and assisted one, proving himself to be an impact sub - and he has played in the Champions League too, which gives him a huge advantage in terms of experience. He has proven that he is a fast and a versatile player who can be called upon at any time to come on and provide that little bit of magic required to win any match, although he can be hot headed and fiery, risking a lot of yellows and somehow he has gotten away with it but he wouldn't get away with that in the Championship, and he can be inconsistent sometimes, struggling to get stuck into some other games. He brings a strong physical presence and is skilful with his feet too; easily a beautiful combination for any Championship or even Premier League side, and would easily have the potential to be one of the best for Derby, especially under Lampard's guidance.

Ben Woodburn -

We all know the name, but he has slowly faded away last season as a failed loan move to Sheffield United saw his reputation tarnished. He is only 19 years old, and will turn 20 in October this year, and we all know the amount of potential he carries - he has made 7 league appearances for Sheffield United but failed to provide any type of impact, and he made a single appearance in the EFL Cup but Sheffield United lost to Hull on penalties, rendering any further cup appearances out of question. He has struggled to adapt to the league, and Chris Wilder has reaped the credit of developing David Brooks, but they are two different personalities. However, Woodburn has been excellent on the international stage, gaining ten caps for the senior Wales squad and netting two goals, and has showed that he is a fast player with a lot of excellent ball control and an eye for goal but unfortunately, his attitude is not where we would want it to be; he occasionally displays an attitude where he believes that he is better than where he is playing at, such as Sheffield United, where he failed to train to a high standard and to prove himself at the club; however, that attitude can be banished through strong discipline, which I believe our coaching staff has got. He is 5'9" which is a decent height for a football player, he is not too small yet just small enough to quickly dodge tackles and body blocks, yet of a decent height to challenge for aerial duels - and he has got a transfer value of £4.5m which could soar if he came to us on a loan deal as Liverpool has already put their trust in us and our system, as shown with Harry Wilson and Wilson's value has soared from £900,000 to £10.8m and Liverpool can now demand 2x that. In all, I cannot see why we couldn't attempt to get him in at Derby on a loan deal, for a season. He would suit our system very well, and we could attempt to slot him into the missing Harry Wilson piece.

Striker:

After the departure of David Nugent as his contract has expired, we have only two recognised strikers in Martyn Waghorn and Jack Marriott (Mason Bennett will be utilised as a winger), and the fading star of Chris Martin looking set for the exit - we might need another striker in our ranks to call upon as a threat in the final five minutes of a game, or to bring something different to the game. Waghorn and Marriott are two different types of strikers, and the Play Off final showed just how lethal Marriott and Waghorn could be if they were played together - this might continue into the new season and this means, obviously, we need a back up striker who doesn't mind sitting on the bench and savour the final moments of a match.

Peter Crouch -

The ideal candidate for this role is the legendary Peter Crouch. He has been a reliable, looming figure in any club's strikeforce, and he has been happy to wait for opportunities to come his way at both Stoke City and Burnley in recent years. Yes, he is 38 years old but he still has got it; we signed Ashley Cole at 38 years old too and we certainly were not complaining when he put in stellar displays. Players with experience like Crouch simply does not lose their magic touch, and with his patience, he might be a good fit for us. He is 6'7" which is, evidently, a strong aerial presence and that is something we could do with, and he is fully capable of holding up the ball which enables us to eat away at precious seconds if we're needing a win, or allowing our wingers such as Tom Lawrence to get further up the pitch to pose more of an attacking threat. He's currently a free agent, with a market value of £1m, which proves he still has got something to give - he just needs the right management to allow him to score goals. He has been instrumental in Burnley securing Premier League football too, winning penalties and playing key passes that led to assists, and we know his wages might be out of budget but I personally believe that he would be willing to take a cut as he has grown his success off the pitch in his books and podcasts so the playing salary will not matter as much anymore. He's been a strong presence for the England national team, getting 42 caps and netting 22 goals although these days are long gone. He is still a very useful utility player though, and he will be okay with playing sporadically, and he is an aerial threat which is something we could do with more of as we are rarely a threat from corners, and not to mention his strong personality, which might help with the backroom atmosphere; he would fit in with our boisterous squad.

Again, like I mentioned at the beginning, some of these targets are not realistic at all, but it just interested me to have a look at other options that we would rather look at and provide a different perspective on the transfer window and maybe have some conversation about these players as they deserve a lot more credit than they do currently. However, we know that we will need to dip into the loan market again and hopefully, Frank Lampard will sign that contract extension and we will continue to have that appeal of playing under him, as well as carrying out our success last season, reaching Wembley and the highly published victory over Manchester United will have only gained us further appeal. But at the end of the day, we will end up looking at League 1 and Scottish League players so might as well forget this whole post!

Up the Rams x