Derby County’s team is expected to be ‘torn apart’ this summer, according to Paul Warne. Even though the team earned promotion from League One by scoring 92 points this season and improving significantly from the previous year, Warne is willing to be brutal in his evaluation of the team to make sure the Rams can get back to winning ways in the Championship.

The team now under contract is rather thin; Corey Blackett-Taylor is scheduled to leave Charlton Athletic permanently in July, and the team will definitely look to sign Ebou Adams, who had a significant impact when on loan from Cardiff City, in a similar manner. However, the midfield player has temporarily returned to the capital of Wales. Naturally, Max Bird of Derby has also said goodbye as he moves on to Bristol City.

In addition, decisions regarding Louie Sibley, Joe Wildsmith, Conor Hourihane, Dwight Gayle, James Collins, Korey Smith, Liam Thompson, Craig Forsyth, Martyn Waghorn, Darren Robinson, and Scott Loach are scheduled to be made in the upcoming weeks. Even though Derby has gained promotion with this bunch, Warne is well aware that the upcoming season will present a completely different set of obstacles, and the expiring contracts give him the opportunity to make some necessary adjustments.

Josh Vickers, Eiran Cashin, Curtis Nelson, Sonny Bradley, Jake Rooney, Callum Elder, Ryan Nyambe, Kane Wilson, Tyrese Fornah, Joe Ward, Corey Blackett-Taylor, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, and Conor Washington are the current 13 senior players on the team.

reassembling the team

Rams first and foremost require a goalkeeper. After two years away from the field, Wildsmith might decide not to come back. In that scenario, Warne would need to find a new number one before the upcoming season to go up against Josh Vickers, the only stopper still on the roster.

Derby’s four most well-known defenders are all committed for the current campaign. While Sonny Bradley hasn’t played much football in the Championship and helped Luton win promotion to the Premier League last season, Kane Wilson and Eiran Cashin have. Football in the second division is nothing new to Curtis Nelson either.

Warne will probably address the defensive unit in the summer, even though Ryan Nyambe and Callum Elder are currently with the team. This is especially likely given that Sibley has been playing a lot of left-back. The current defense is still rather stable, but in the midfield, things are very different, and this summer, new players are desperately needed.

If Warne and David Clowes decide to oversee a new beginning for the organization this summer, there may be a situation in which Messrs. Hourihane, Bird, Smith, Sibley, and Adams have all left and none have returned in any capacity. Tyrese Fornah is the only central midfield player currently under contract, and in 2024, he has played just over thirty minutes of league action. Maybe three additional alternatives are needed in the middle of the park for the Rams.

Overall, the current options are somewhat healthier. Due to injury, Joe Ward had a challenging season, while Nathaniel Mendez-Laing was unstoppable, contributing 27 goals across all competitions. Despite the fact that Tom Barkhuizen, a player with a similar profile, is not under contract, he has also been tried and tested in the Championship.

The front section comes next. Similar to midfield, this might drastically change in appearance in the upcoming weeks. Tyreece John-Jules’ terrible loan from Arsenal will come to an end, while veteran players Dwight Gayle, James Collins, and Martyn Waghorn will all be saying goodbye. And there leaves Conor Washington, a bit-part striker. It makes perfect sense that Warne has mentioned the need to greatly improve the team’s goal threat.

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