"My wish" - Derby County urged to seal triple Rams transfer agreement | OneFootball

FLW's Derby fan pundit has been speaking on what County's number one priority should be heading into the summer 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 will be hoping to conduct their summer transfer business as a Championship club.

The Rams are battling to remain in the second tier, having won automatic promotion out of League One last term.

Three wins on the bounce ahead of the international break has provided a major boost to County's chances, as John Eustace looks to write a Pride Park survival story after his dramatic return to his former club.

Regardless of whether they are operating as a League One or Championship outfit next season, this summer's transfer window will be an essential one for either boosting their third tier promotion chances, or for ensuring that they aren't embroiled in another second tier relegation fight next year.

"Number one priority" - Derby County summer transfer plan outlined

We asked our Derby County fan pundit, Shaun Woodward: 'If you could have one realistic wish granted for Derby in this summer's transfer window, what would it be and why?'

Woodward said: "My wish for the transfer window in the summer would be more about who we keep.

"Kane Wilson, out of contract, that is my number one priority would be to get him tied down to a new contract. I think keeping Wilson, if we could keep Nat Phillips as well, I think that would be another excellent addition to the squad.

"Also, try and get Matt Clarke down to a longer contract. I know it expires at the end of the season. So I think Wilson, Clarke and Phillips, if we can keep all three of those, next season we'll have a really good chance because they're all really solid Championship players.

"So they'd be my three key players to keep. I haven't really thought about who I'd like to bring in, but I think more importantly at the moment is who we keep from the players that are potentially going to leave at the end of the season."

Derby have big opportunity to strengthen in the summer thanks to Eiran Cashin - Rams must spend wisely

One of the club's biggest success stories in recent times, centre-back Eiran Cashin completed a £9m move to Premier League side Brighton in the closing stages of the winter transfer window.

Losing their excellent academy graduate halfway through the season was a huge blow to the Rams, but it has set them up for a summer of sizeable investment should they wish.

Should Derby reinvest all of that money into constructing their squad for the 2025/26 season, then it could act as the catalyst for some real improvement on the pitch in certain areas, and enable County to start pushing on up the Championship should they escape the drop.

However, just because they've received a nice cash injection into their coffers, the club can't afford to be reckless in the market. Instead, they must continue to be shrewd with their business, not falling into the temptation of over-spending on individual deals just because they have the funds to compensate such an approach.

Therefore, depending on how and where Derby spend this money, it could act as a springboard to future success, or a trapdoor to further financial setbacks.