"Very surprised" - Oxford United warned against potential Derby County transfer deal | OneFootball

FLW's Oxford United fan pundit has given his verdict on the potential signing of Derby County defender Joe Ward.

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…

Oxford United are believed to be one of the sides interested in signing Derby County defender Joe Ward in the January transfer window.

As FLW exclusively revealed this week, Oxford are keeping tabs on Ward, who has struggled for game time at Derby this season, but they could face competition for his signature as fellow Championship strugglers Portsmouth are also monitoring the 29-year-old.

Ward made the move to Pride Park last summer after his contract at Peterborough United expired, and although he helped the Rams to automatic promotion from League One last season, he has struggled to nail down a regular place in the team.

The right-back has made just seven appearances for Derby so far this season, with only three of those coming from the start, and as a number of clubs eye a potential deal in January, it seems as though he could be on the move.

Oxford made the decision to part company with head coach Des Buckingham on Sunday after a run of one win in 15 games, and former Millwall and Birmingham City manager Gary Rowett has been announced as his replacement.

Rowett will take charge of the U's for the first time when they take on Cardiff City at the Kassam Stadium on Boxing Day, and while his focus for now will be on the upcoming fixtures over the busy festive period, his attention will soon turn to the January window as he looks to stamp his mark on the squad.

Oxford United urged not to pursue Joe Ward deal

When asked for his thoughts on the potential signing of Ward, FLW's Oxford United fan pundit Andrew Taylor warned the club against pursuing a deal for the defender due to his lack of game time at Derby this season, and he questioned why the U's need another right-back.

"I'm not keen on that one," Andrew said.

"We seem to be heavily stacked in the full-back areas, especially at right-back with Sam Long, Hidde ter Avest and Peter Kioso, so I'm surprised we're after a full-back.

"Joe Ward has not had many minutes, and it looks like he will need match fitness, but we should be looking at players that are ready to go from the off, not ones who will need four weeks of game time to get them up to speed.

"I'm very surprised we're looking at another full-back."

Oxford United facing intriguing January window after Gary Rowett arrival

As Andrew says, with Long, ter Avest and Kioso already on their books, there is no obvious need for Oxford to bring in another right-back.

If the U's can help Ward to rediscover the form he showed during his time at Peterborough, then he could prove to be a shrewd addition, but it is difficult not to feel that the budget could be better spent on other areas of the team.

After being confirmed as Buckingham's replacement, Rowett will no doubt be keen to strengthen his squad in January, and recruiting players with Championship experience should be his main priority as he looks to keep Oxford in the division.