2 Bargain Signings Derby Should Complete Before Deadline Day
I initially thought that Derby County were going to disappoint this season after they failed to continue the transfer market momentum they built early on in the summer, having signed Tom Huddlestone, Curtis Davies and Andre Wisdom.
However, they are playing so well under Gary Rowett currently, that maybe you could say they did disappoint and that they perhaps could have been top of this division with a quicker start and perhaps one more quality signing before August.
Rowett is impressing most watchers of the game but is under severe pressure in the market to get it right, given that Mel Morris has given him complete freedom to buy whoever he wants to, within budget, meaning he lives and dies by those transfer decisions.
The Rams seem to have solved their striking problem this month by signing Norwich City’s Cameron Jerome but further reinforcements may well be needed if they are to achieve automatic promotion via the runners-up spot, let alone bridge the current 9-point gap between themselves and Wolves.
Here are two potential bargains they may put straight in their basket:
Sam Morsy (Wigan Athletic)
The Wolverhampton-born player has been impressing everyone at Wigan Athletic in League One and is expected to feature at the World Cup finals in Russia later this year, representing the country of his father’s birth, Egypt.
It’s hard to say what Wigan would ask for if they were willing to let Morsy go, though it’s thought to be under £2million given the level he is currently playing at.
There’s little risk involved at that sort of price, especially for a player who is plying his trade at just one level below Derby and in fact seems to be leading them back up to the Championship anyway and so at prices like this, players like Morsy often prove to be great bargains.
Ryan Woods (Brentford)
The impressive defensive midfielder would fit in at Pride Park in no time, though Derby and Sunderland have made advances for him before with no luck.
I’m not sure what sort of price the Bees would be demanding but anything under £4million for Woods would be excellent value for money, given that he has an ability which belies his current run-of-the-mill Championship midfielder reputation.
With Huddlestone getting no younger, Rowett will not continue to rely only on him in this particular position and so reinforcements are well needed at some point soon. So, why not bring someone like Woods at this sort of price?