Liam: Experience can help solve road issues
LIAM Rosenior says Derby County cannot pay transfer fees for players but feels the experience he has added will help develop their emerging talent.
In what has been an impressive recruitment drive after Clowes Developments completed their takeover on July 1, the interim Rams boss has added 11 new faces this summer.
James Chester, James Collins, Conor Hourihane and David McGoldrick have been among those to arrive, with their experience forming a key part of the Rams’ rebuild.
The club have had to operate in the free transfer market because the business plan agreed with the Football League as part of Clowes’ takeover dictates they cannot pay fees for players.
But Rosenior feels the knowledge he has added to the squad will help Derby’s next crop of young stars and address their away record, given they won only three games on the road last season in the Championship.
“You’ve got to get the balance right in every squad and the demographic of it is really important,” he said. “But also where we are at is that we are still under restrictions in terms of not paying fees for players.
“Normally to pay for a player, they’ll be between 22 and 28. Free agents are normally in that age bracket but where we are lucky is that we have outstanding young players here already.
“They showed that last season. Just putting in a little bit of understanding, experience and know-how around them is only going to develop them further on how to win games.
“Our away record wasn’t great last year and it was just down to moments of a lack of experience when trying to see a game out.
“We lost a lot of games 1-0 away from home last season and, hopefully, we win a lot of games 1-0 this time.”
■ FORMER Derby County manager Wayne Rooney reportedly wants to reunite with Manchester United defender Phil Jones at DC United after previously failing in an attempt to bring the player to Pride Park Stadium.
The 30-year-old was first linked with a move to the Rams back in November 2020, ahead of the January transfer window and before Rooney had even become the club’s interim manager.
Rumours continued throughout the remainder of that year and into 2021, with the links last being reported in early November last year.
Early on in his interim tenure, Rooney was asked about the transfer talk.
“Phil Jones is a Manchester United player and it is not my job to really speak on him,” was his reply when asked whether Jones was a player he was keen to bring to the club.
Now the Daily Star is reporting that the DC boss is again targeting the former England international.
One-time Rams loanee Jesse Lingard is another that Rooney is reportedly “chasing” on a free transfer.
How Derby would have got close to covering Jones’ £120,000-a-week wages is another question. Even the Major League Soccer side are said to need the majority of that salary to be subsidised by Manchester United for a loan move to be made.