Derby County latest: Race with Charlton & Millwall, Paul Warne's January admission, Tyreece John-Jules | OneFootball

Derby County have been in very strong form of late when in League One, having won four on the spin as we head towards a run of fixtures that sees Paul Warne's feature six times between now and the close of play on New Year's Day.

Having been defeated 3-1 at home by Crewe Alexandra in the first round, the Rams were one of six third tier sides without a fixture at all this weekend due to the FA Cup second round taking place, giving the side plenty of time to hit the refresh button ahead of the hectic winter schedule which sees the table begin to take shape ahead of the final months of the campaign.

As we edge ever closer to the January transfer window, the rumour mill is beginning to intensify, and Derby are no exception.

It was revealed by TeamTalk on Sunday afternoon that the East Midlands outfit are one of several clubs targeting Bromley's highly-rated prospect, Ben Krauhaus.

The 19-year-old has had an early introduction to first-team football, making his debut aged 17 as a substitute against Dover Athletic in 2021. So far this season, as Bromley sit second in the National League, Krauhaus has featured 23 times in the fifth tier and FA Cup, scoring on two occasions.

However, Derby face a battle for his services from clubs higher up the EFL, as the report states Cardiff City, Swansea and Millwall have all cast an eye over his performances, as well as fellow League One outfits Bolton and Charlton.

"I got to..." - Arsenal loanee makes pleasing admission after injury setback

One of Derby's summer arrivals, Tyreece John-Jules is hoping to have a settled period at Pride Park after suffering another injury setback which saw him unavailable for nearly two months with a thigh problem.

The Arsenal loanee made his long-awaited return to the side in Derby's last outing, a hard-fought 1-0 success away to Port Vale, where the 22-year-old grabbed the winner 13 minutes from time.

He later admitted to the Derby Telegraph that his goal, in what was only his third club appearance was a repayment for all the support he received when on the sidelines.

"It's been tough. You think you get used to it then you get injured again and it's such a mental battle. You've got to be strong. This is the game of football and this is what comes with it.

"But I am happy I have my family, my teammates and the medical staff behind me. They are cheering me on and I got to repay them with a goal and I just want to say thank you to everyone who supported and stayed with me. I've tried new techniques, different stretches, but I just want to stay fit. I've tried everything. I've changed diets, seen specialists and some of it has been unlucky. But I've just got to keep going and control the controllables." John-Jules continued.

"The management team have been good here, they've made me feel welcome and wanted. I am grateful to them for that because they could have easily forgot about me and left me there."

"Isn't fair..." - Paul Warne makes January window claim

Speaking of the Derby management team, Paul Warne has spoken about the challenges he may face in the January window, as the club looks to solidify its position as true promotion contenders.

The 50-year-old has been brutally honest in his admission and also looks to take the lessons learned from his previous winter window in charge at Pride Park.

"In the last January window here, I didn't think there was a lot wrong and I was only going to bring in people who improved us," He began. "Last year I wouldn't say I got too emotionally attached to the players, but maybe I didn't see the faults. That's my mistake. I should have thought well if I can't get better than him, then I should get something different to him. But throughout the window, although I only signed those three, I went through a list of different players I tried to bring in. I thought (Tony) Springett had an effect at times, the keeper didn't play and Harvey (White) played but now Stevenage have bought him and he can't get on the bench there.

"We are trying to improve all the time but even with all the best preparation, the best planning, the January window just isn't fair sometimes and that's not just exclusive to us but it affects everybody in the league." Warne added.

There were also club scouts spotted in the stands at Wycombe Wanderers' 2-0 defeat to Morecambe in the FA Cup Second Round on Saturday, as per James Richings. However, it has yet to be revealed whether this was player specific, or ahead of Derby's fixture with the Chairboys on December 16th.