Derby County have made a fine start to life back in the Championship, and things are looking good for the East Midlands club after the opening three months of the season.
The Rams entered the third international break of the campaign in 12th place in the second tier, just six points adrift of the play-off positions.
Paul Warne has managed to work excellently with one of the smallest budgets in the division, and his side’s home form has seen them become a relatively competitive team despite only winning promotion to the league at the end of last season.
While some supporters will have a few worries concerning their team’s recent form, which has seen them win just once in the last six matches, the upcoming January transfer window offers Warne the chance to make some fixes to his squad.
Football League World has taken a look at what the perfect window looks like for Derby, involving both incomings and outgoings.
Joe Taylor signs to bolster Derby County attacking options
Joe Taylor is potentially one of the most frustrated players in all the EFL, with the Luton Town striker’s game-time extremely limited currently, despite his side’s lowly league position.
The striker, who turns 22 on 18 November, has made just seven appearances for the Hatters this season, with all of those coming from off the bench.
He came close to a permanent move to Huddersfield Town in the summer, but an agreement could never be reached, and he has stayed at Kenilworth Road since.
However, at such a young age, he is the perfect target for Derby, who are in desperate need of competition for Jerry Yates, and lowering the average age of the squad can only be seen as a positive.
Taylor proved his quality in front of goal last season for both Lincoln City and Colchester United, scoring 21 goals in 44 games across League One and League Two, and if a move is made, and he can recreate that same level of form for the Rams, it could be crucial to their season.
| Joe Taylor’s Lincoln City Stats 2023-24 (As Per FotMob) | |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 19 |
| Goals | 10 |
| Assists | 3 |
| xG | 7.07 |
| Shots (Shots on Target) | 48 (23) |
| Pass Accuracy | 55.4% |
| Chances Created | 9 |
| Dribbles Completed | 12 |
| Recoveries | 40 |
Tawanda Chirewa’s loan is cut short
Tawanda Chirewa’s loan at Derby has not quite lived up to be what himself, the Rams and his parent club, Wolverhampton Wanderers, had hoped it would be.
The 21-year-old’s natural attacking midfield position is not one that is offered to him by Warne’s system, and keeping hold of him would be detrimental to not only the Championship side’s campaign, but also the development of Chirewa himself.
The Zimbabwe international has made just two league appearances since making the move to Pride Park in the summer, and a calf injury is currently keeping him out of action.
But with the return of Liam Thompson to the Rams’ midfield, and David Ozoh coming back after the international break, he is even further down the pecking order.
Curtailing his spell offers Warne a free space in the squad, and also another loan slot to be used on a player in a more needed position, such as a striker.
As well as that, it would allow Chirewa to get valuable minutes at another club, playing in his natural position.
Eiran Cashin stays put once more
Eiran Cashin has been vital to Derby this season once again, and keeping hold of the centre-back must be seen as a priority if any interest in him is made.
The 23-year-old has made over 130 appearances for the club that handed him his professional debut in 2021, and alongside Curtis Nelson, he has formed the backbone of a very successful defence over the last 15 months.
Cashin was targeted by Brighton & Hove Albion throughout the summer of 2023, and while there was no concrete interest in him in the most recent window, it would not be a surprise at all to see clubs from the Premier League take a look at him in January.
Derby handed the former Republic of Ireland U21 international a new long-term contract until the end of the 2026/27 campaign back in February, and they will hope that this will protect him from any potential bids in the next transfer window.
Lennon Wheeldon is sent out on loan
While there may be a focus on retaining players and bringing them in during this window, up-and-coming striker Lennon Wheeldon may just find himself out on loan for the first time come January.
The 18-year-old has had a stunning start to the Premier League 2 season, scoring three goals in his first four appearances, already beating out his number from 2023/24.
The Rams have had great success loaning out their young stars to Gateshead in the National League in the past year, with both Ben Radcliffe and Dajaune Brown impressing supporters in the north-east, with the former currently at the club.
It is vital that players like Wheeldon get this experience in senior football and sending him to a club that Derby have a good relationship with could be the ideal way for the striker to start pushing towards the first team at Pride Park.
The future is incredibly bright for the England under-19 international, and this move seems the natural next step at this stage of his career.
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