Plenty to do before Rams are ready to go again
WHEN a team and squad struggles as badly as Derby County’s this season it should come as no surprise that a major overhaul is needed for next season.
The Rams escaped relegation by the skin of their teeth at the end of the club’s worst campaign at the second tier level of English football in 37 years.
They lost more than half, 24, of their 46 League matches and scored only 36 goals. Derby probably deserved to go down, given their alarming sequence of only one win in 15 games during the run-in.
They just about survived thanks to a huge helping hand from others and would now be looking at the League One road map had Cardiff City’s Marlon Pack not drilled in a late equaliser to deny Rotherham United a victory that would have kept the Millers up.
Now the focus turns to the summer transfer window and a rebuilding job.
Derby’s recruitment has come in for criticism in recent seasons, some of it deserved, and it is crucial the Rams move quickly in the market, move smartly and do not get left behind.
New signings are likely to be a mixture of permanents and loans, and may need to be financed by selling players, which is nothing new.
Jayden Bogle and Max Lowe left last summer, Matej Vydra, Tom Ince, Will Hughes and Jeff Hendrick in previous summers.
Much of all that might depend on off-the-field matters surrounding the ownership of the club, a proposed takeover, and the budget and wriggle room afforded to manager Wayne Rooney.
Solid, successful teams are built from the back and Rooney needs to make a decision on his goalkeeper. Will David Marshall be his number one, will it be Kelle Roos, or will one leave this summer and a new keeper brought in?
For one reason or another, Marshall and Roos split first-team duty in the 25 League games since the turn of the year – Marshall started 13, Roos 12 – and neither has nailed down the position on their form.
The centreback department is in need of urgent attention because Matt Clarke, George Edmundson and Teden Mengi have returned to their parent clubs following loan spells, while Andre Wisdom and Curtis Davies are out of contract. Rooney has said he would like to bring Mengi back on loan from Manchester United.
Derby have gone with a back four or back three at times and, on last count, they used 13 different combinations. Injuries have not helped, nor has the form of individuals and the constant changes.
The partnership at centre-back is absolutely crucial. A solid platform cannot be built on shifting sands.
A squad needs four/five central defenders to cope with a 46-match season. Derby have their work cut out this summer to reshape that department.
The left-back position is another area of the team to look at. Craig Forsyth and Lee Buchanan have battled for the role all season, although there is speculation surrounding Buchanan’s future, with Arsenal and West Ham United reportedly keen.
At the other end of the pitch, the attacking options and creativity need strengthening as the paltry goals return highlights.
Derby need to bolster the department with at least two strikers, including a centre-forward to share the burden with 34-year-old (he turns 35 in August) Colin Kazimrichards.
Decisions also need to be made on Martyn Waghorn, who is out of contract, and Jack Marriott, who spent this season on loan with Sheffield Wednesday. If neither figure in the plans, move them on and continue to reshape forward options.
A word for Tom Lawrence. The Wales international returned from injury and scored three goals in eight starts. Yes, his form can be inconsistent and frustrating at times, but Derby missed him when he was sidelined for three months.
It will be interesting to see if Kamil Jozwiak can deliver more than he did in what will be his second season since his move from Lech Poznan. His first season has been disappointing but he is still young – he only turned 23 last month – and has had to cope with a first taste of English football in a struggling side.
Can Derby find a creative/goalscoring midfielder to service the attack and fashion more chances?
Centre-forwards and creative midfielders are not easy to find, nor do they come cheap.
Having Krystian Bielik back from injury at some stage in the early months of next season would be a boost, but the balance of the squad needs addressing.
Derby need more players in the 25 to 29 age bracket, more Championship experience. This is not a criticism of the younger players, who have had a tough learning curve this season, but too often there have been too many players 20 or under in the team or the match-day squad.
The form of young players will rise and fall during their development, that is natural, and dipping them in and out of the first team and squad helps their progress.
Plenty to do, then, for Derby. On a rough calculation, they could need eight or nine new faces. That is a very sizeable “to do” list.
The partnership at centre-back is absolutely crucial. A solid platform cannot be built on shifting sands.