Structure is in place for new recruitment

WAYNE Rooney said before the January transfer window he had a list of targets.

He confirmed this in December, although the Derby County boss had to wait until the final day of the window before new faces arrived.

The Rams made five loan signings – Teden Mengi (Manchester United), George Edmundson (Rangers), Beni Baningime (Everton), Patrick Roberts (Manchester City) and Lee Gregory (Stoke City).

Rooney has said he is putting plans in place for the summer transfer window.

“There are plans I am working on continuously, obviously they can be adjusted for different things,” said Rooney.

“We have to take into account that we are in a pandemic, so I know I have to be flexible with plans I am putting in place whether that is on targets to come in and join us or players to leave.”

Rooney will know where the squad needs attention and he will have players in mind while working closely with the club’s recruitment department.

“The important thing is how we recruit in the next 12-18 months,” he said earlier this month.

Joe Mcclaren is Derby’s head of recruitment and he has held similar roles at Dutch club FC Twente and Southampton.

Jon Howard is head of scouting operations, Harry Croft head of technical scouting, Jamie Smith head of academy recruitment and former Rams player Rob Kozluk is lead senior scout.

The recruitment department will know the type of player and position Rooney is looking at and will assist the manager in flagging up potential targets from live scouting, video scouting, stats and external tip-offs.

Groundwork will then involve repeated scouting and video check ups before starting to find out contract and character background information.

Asked ahead of the January window if he will look to utilise his contacts at his previous clubs, Manchester United and Everton, Rooney said: “Yes, myself, Shay (Given) and Liam (Rosenior) have all got ties with and contacts at other clubs but we have to do what is right for this club and we can’t just be looking at other clubs we have worked with in the past.

“We have to trust in our recruitment teams as well and they obviously have to give us the right players who are available and we will have our opinions on players we think might be available to us.”

The coronavirus pandemic is likely to make the summer transfer market a different one to normal with finances tight at the majority of clubs.

Rooney alluded to this recently when he said he will have to be adaptable.

“I think that is the main thing I have to be. I can still plan, I can plan for different scenarios,” he said.

As well as his assistant manager Liam Rosenior and coach Shay Given, Rooney can call on help and advice from the club’s vastly-experienced technical director Steve Mcclaren, who has twice managed Derby as well as Middlesbrough, FC Twente, Wolfsburg, Nottingham Forest, Newcastle United, Queens Park Rangers and England.

Also involved in making a transfer happen will be chief executive Stephen Pearce, who will deal with contracts and agents, and he works closely with club owner and chairman Mel Morris.