Derby County transfer fear raised that could end in relegation | OneFootball

We spoke to our resident Derby County pundit to get his take on a concern he has heading into the January transfer window.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Derby County have hit a patchy shade of form after a relatively impressive start to the season.

Having picked up 18 points from the opening 14 games, the four-game run against Plymouth Argyle, Preston North End, Swansea City and Sheffield Wednesday, would have been seen as an opportunity to push themselves towards the top half of the table.

What followed was just two points and successive defeats to the Swans and Owls have left County fans feeling somewhat perturbed.

During these losses, Paul Warne's side have created an unbelievable number of opportunities but somehow have managed just two goals from an expected figure (xG) of 5.29.

While their overall number of 22 goals this season isn't woeful, if they continue to miss these opportunities, they could soon be in trouble with the relegation zone just five points away.

With all this in mind, we spoke to our resident Derby pundit, Shaun Woodward, who declared that the January window would be a massive failure if they didn't strengthen those attacking positions.

Derby urged to invest in attacking options

Posed with the question of what his biggest fear for the Rams is heading into the January window, Woodward said: "My one biggest fear for Derby is that we don't bring in reinforcements in the front line.

"At the moment, we're missing chances left, right and centre. While we are creating, our forwards are just not good enough. If we're honest, they're not Championship level; they're League One level, and that is the table we are feasting from at the moment.

"It is definitely showing. Where last season we would have won 1-0, we are now losing 2-1, as teams are just much more clinical against us, with their forwards taking their chances and ours not.

"It is fine margins, but our front line just isn't good enough, and if we don't bring in some Championship quality in January, then it will be a tough winter, and I can only see it going one way."

Paul Warne needs his attack bolstered

Currently, Warne's striker options consist of Jerry Yates, Kayden Jackson, James Collins, and Conor Washington. Together they have contributed just six goals to the side and the latter two rarely feature, with Washington still yet to make an appearance in 2024-25 and Collins only receiving 169 minutes of game time.

This should see Warne look to move on his out of favour options, in a bid to fund a potential move for a new addition up front.

Targeting a younger but proven player has to be the priority, as having the oldest squad in the Championship is a major drawback for County.

Whether loan or temporary, it is an issue that needs resolving as the longer Yates and Jackson struggle to score, the further Derby may fall. The winter window could be a pivotal moment for Warne then, as he can't risk leaving his current options to their own devices as they just won't hit the heights that he needs.