Derby County opinion: Rams should bring in Daniel Bachmann on loan
According to Derbyshire Live, Derby County have been linked with a move for Watford goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann, with the report claiming that the Rams are looking to sign the 25-year-old Austrian on a season-long loan deal.
Derbyshire Live understands that new manager Phillip Cocu is keen to bring in a new first-choice shot-stopper ahead of Scott Carson and Kelle Roos, with goalkeeping coach Shay Given recommending the Dutchman to pursue an interest in the Watford man.
Bachmann spent the previous campaign on loan at Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premiership and caught the eye with some impressive displays between the sticks, managing 14 clean sheets in 28 games across all competitions.
Born in Vienna, Austria, Bachmann featured for Admira Wacker, SK Sturm Graz and FK Austria Wien at the youth level before joining Stoke City’s youth system in 2011.
Despite being a regular with the U-18 and U-21 squad, the shot-stopper found it hard to break into the first-team and subsequently spent time on loan at Wrexham, Bury and Ross County.
Having failed to make the cut into the senior setup at Stoke, Bachmann joined Watford in the summer of 2017, although that move has failed to pay any dividends so far.
The 25-year-old made a few matchday squad appearances for the Hornets in the 2017-18 season but he never got a chance to don the gloves in a competitive fixture.
The towering 6ft 3in shot-stopper is yet to make a senior international appearance for Austria due to his lack of regular minutes at the club level, although he did represent his nation at U-19 and U-21 levels earlier in his career. Bachmann hasn’t had much luck in English football so far but that might change this time around, with Derby County expressing an interest.
Meanwhile, Derby are yet to make the headlines with any statement signings under new manager Cocu, who has a big job on his hands to find replacements for departing loanees Harry Wilson, Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori.
The Rams have brought in Kieran Dowell on loan from Everton, while Graeme Shinnie has also joined from Aberdeen on a free transfer. But the fans at Pride Park will be expecting the club to show more ambition after reaching the finals of the playoffs last season.
As far as the goalkeeping options are concerned, Derby County currently have Scott Carson, Kelle Roos and Jonathan Mitchell as the three senior options between the sticks.
Carson started the previous season as the No.1 before Frank Lampard opted for a change and handed Roos the lead role. The Dutchman repaid his manager’s faith with some consistent displays towards the end of the season, while Mitchell had loan stints at Shrewsbury Town and Oxford United.
To put things into perspective, it is quite clear that the chances of Bachmann playing regularly at Vicarage Road are very slim, given that Ben Foster is likely to continue in goal next season.
Hence, the prospect of a loan move to a promotion-chasing team like Derby, coupled with the promise of first-team football, should appeal to the 25-year-old, who is likely to be desperate to finally make a name for himself in English football.
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Conclusion
It is still unclear whether Bachmann would be an upgrade on the likes of Carson and Roos given his lack of experience at the senior level. However, he is certainly worth a punt for the Rams and a loan deal should eliminate the risk factor in the move to a considerable extent.
That said, Derby should not hesitate to go forward with their interest in the 25-year-old Austrian shot-stopper.