Following promotion from League One, Derby County have turned their attention towards flexing their Championship muscles for the first time and potentially signing a future star.
Derby transfer news
The Rams sealed automatic promotion after a rollercoaster season in which a place in England's second tier wasn't always a guarantee. Promoted nonetheless, Paul Warne's task is to now keep Derby in the Championship to avoid returning directly back to square one in the next campaign. Preparing to avoid the drop, those at Pride Park have reportedly already turned their focus towards the summer transfer window.
With that said, the Rams are eyeing up a move to swoop in and land a future gem for Warne. According to Wayne Veysey of Football Insider, Derby are eyeing a move to sign Thierry Small from Charlton Athletic, who will reportedly trigger the one-year option in his contract so they can demand a fee if he leaves.
Warne must soon ditch Derby promotion star who earns more than Cashin
Derby County might look to offload this high earner ahead of entering back into the Championship.
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The 19-year-old left-back, who previously played for Everton, has a decision to make though, as Charlton have also tabled an improved three-year deal for him to sign.
To make the jump from League One to the Championship will certainly be tempting for a player who is yet to even reach the peak of his powers. It remains to be seen just how much Derby would have to pay to land Small, however, with his price tag only increasing if he signs a new deal at Charlton, though Transfermarkt value him at around £750,000 right now.
It would be a deal worth pursuing for the right price though, given that Small's arrival would hand Louie Sibley plenty of competition at left-wing-back or allow the 22-year-old to move back into his preferred midfield role in the Championship next season.
"Great" Small would unleash Sibley
Whilst Small has had his struggles in the early stages of his career, particularly at Everton and Southampton, he has since found his feet at Charlton to earn the interest of Derby. And now he could step up even more by completing a move to Pride Park and edging ever closer to a Premier League return. It's a move that would also crucially unleash Sibley.
Left playing in the wing-back role this season, Sibley deserves the chance to break into the Rams' midfield and become a key part of Warne's side in his favoured position, and Small's arrival would allow for that transition.
It won't be a simple move, however, given Charlton's reported offer on the table and the fact that manager Nathan Jones seems to be a fan after telling the Daily Echo: "What we won’t do is get rid of good players. We’ll protect good players – if Thierry falls into that then Thierry will be looked after.
“I’ve been really pleased (with his impact so far). Obviously, I know Thierry from Southampton. He had a bit of a tough time – a big-money move as a teenager when he came to Southampton.
"Sometimes you have a little bit of a plateau before you can go again. We hope that is it for Thierry. He is a great kid – a fantastic athlete. He needs some polishing around the edges – but so do most teenagers."
