The transfer window is problematic because Derby County is competing in a market where supply is significantly less than demand. As we approach the final week of the window, a number nine is at the top of Paul Warne’s wanted list, and the club’s head coach anticipated the question when he gave his press conference yesterday.
“I think the best way to describe it is difficult,” he stated when bringing up the topic at Moor Farm. “The transfer window has several stages, and right now we are at the outrageous, ludicrous phase of it. However, by this time next week, everything will settle down once more. Thus, it’s uncomfortable. The truth is that every football team has players they would like to recruit, but there are also guys you just cannot afford.
“Everything we can is being done. I believe we are still a long way from having another midfielder, therefore we still need to bring one in. We still need to add something in the top line and bring in another defender. For the limited number of players in this league, we are in competition with other clubs.
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“What would you do if I told you right now that you could either get a seven-out-of-10 striker today or a nine-out-of-10 striker, which is a bet that you won’t get until next week? Once inside, they stay inside. As I mentioned before, this is a chaotic season with fees on top of fees and agents demanding outrageous sums because they have all the cards. Right now, the water is murky, but we’re trying our best to get through it.”Warne is correct to take his time making a decision that is crucial to Derby’s chances this year, but he must feel like he is bringing a water pistol to a war considering some of the expenditure other teams are engaging in.
Derby is right to wait it out, especially if there aren’t any better options available right now for what he has in the building. The $64,000 question is how long do you wait. Derby’s issue is that strikers are in such high demand that their fees are through the roof. Agents are aware of this, and even with loan signings, some of the demands are simply unbelievable.According to Warne, some agencies are even attempting to persuade teams to pay a player more than what his parent club is now paying him each week. For instance, let’s say that player X makes £8,000 a week, but his representative demands that the loan team pay £12,000. Such expectations placed on a team like Derby are absurd. Warne acknowledged that it was a problem he had never seen before. Though he handled it diplomatically, you could tell that, with his morals, it was bothering him.
Jerry Yates, who served a three-match suspension, is at least welcomed back to Derby while the search continues. That bit of news was brushed under the rug at Moor Farm amid all the fuss around moves. “Jerry was excellent pre-season and gives us a real threat if selected,” Warne said of Yates, who scored nine goals in the Championship the previous season.
“I’m excited to watch him run around. It’s strange; he seems a little louder now that his suspension is over. It’ll be good to have him back because he seems to be saying hello to me more frequently, so I know he’s available.”
Although Derby will need to have patience with him, as Warne points out, he has already demonstrated that he will intensify their attack. We witnessed his excellent connection with Nathaniel Mendez-Laing during a victory over Barnsley, and it is the main reason he is here in addition to his goal scoring prowess. Despite the fact that the player possesses the confidence that every forward should possess, no one should put undue strain on him.
It is unclear if Warne will start him, and he must also decide how to start Jacob Widell Zetterstrom against Watford.After moving from Djurgarden, he is available, and the debate this week has been over whether to start him at Vicarage Road.
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