Derby County: Sheffield Wednesday & Aston Villa duo touted as part of perfect Rams transfer window | OneFootball

The Rams sit 14th in the Championship after 21 games as they head into the busy festive period.

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 look to have turned a corner after a difficult run of form, and have picked up four points from their last two Championship games, keeping two clean sheets in the process.

The Rams had won just one of their previous 11 matches before facing Portsmouth last Friday, but they put their fellow League One promotion winners to the sword, scoring four goals in a dominant victory at Pride Park, just days after holding Burnley to a 0-0 draw at Turf Moor.

While these results are positive for Paul Warne, improvements are needed in the January transfer window, and he will be hoping to bring in more firepower throughout his team to ensure that they push away from the relegation battle further.

Derby are seven points clear of the drop zone, but building this gap is imperative to ensuring that they do not put themselves into trouble later in the campaign.

Verdict issued on dream Derby County January transfer window

The summer window was an excellent one for the Rams, and they made some fantastic signings that have already made a huge impact in DE24.

The likes of Ebou Adams, Kenzo Goudmijn and Jacob Widell Zetterstrom are already fan favourites, with the former joining the club in the summer permanently after making the switch in January on loan.

Football League World has asked their Derby Fan Pundit, Shaun Woodward, what would need to happen for his club to have the perfect winter transfer window, with a Sheffield Wednesday striker and League One bagsman both dreamed of.

Shaun told FLW: "A perfect transfer window for me if we bring in Michael Smith and Louie Barry.

"That would give us reinforcements and different options up front. Whether we go for a front three or a front two, it gives us pace, power and a focal point, so that'll be really exciting to see.

"If we keep Eiran Cashin as well, I think that's just as important as bringing in a striker. It depends on David Ozoh as well. If he's going to be back, it's almost like a new signing anyway in central midfield."

Shaun added: "If not, I think we could really do with bringing in someone to replace him, potentially another Premier League loan with a similar style of play to him, because although we looked really good against Portsmouth, with all due respect to Portsmouth, they were terrible, and it was great to see us really going for the jugular for once.

"But over the course of the season we haven't been good enough in that midfield area, and I think we've really missed Ozoh.

"So, if he's not going to be fit, another central midfielder is needed, and keeping Cashin and bringing in two front players would be a brilliant window for me."

Louie Barry would be the ultimate signing for Derby County in January

While bringing Smith in could be a smart move, even if that move is not possible, the Rams need goals - and Barry could provide them in spades.

He has excelled at Stockport County after joining the Hatters on loan from Aston Villa for the second successive season, but the Premier League side are now willing to let him go to a Championship club and impress there instead.

Derby are one of several second tier sides interested in him, and while they might not be leading the way, it's important that they do not give up on chasing a deal as he could revolutionise their attacking play.

Barry has an extremely bright future ahead of him, and with not all of the Rams' loans working out so far this season, the 21-year-old could be the one to take them forward towards a strong mid-table finish.