Derby County transfer debrief as Everton talent joins but only one thing will lift Pride Park gloom
Derby County went into yesterday's transfer deadline day with two main objectives. One was to find a creative central midfield player, the other was to add pace and creativity to an attack that has struggled for goals of late, particularly at Pride Park.
Harrison Armstrong arrived from Everton on a loan deal until the end of the season to tick box number one, but as the clock ticked towards the 11pm deadline, there were no other arrivals.
Judging by the reaction on social media, to say the fans were not overly enamoured would be an understatement. But when you are a run on seven straight league defeats and sitting in the bottom three, it was always going to be hard to lift the mood of a fanbase that is justifiably concerned over the direction of travel.
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The problem in analysing the window as a whole becomes incredibly difficult when emotions are running high and only a significant upturn in results is going to replace grey clouds with rainbows. Derby could have signed Lionel Messi this month but if the team keeps on losing, the outlook will never change regardless of who wears the shirt.
But the move they did do yesterday does look full of promise. Armstrong arrived with a burgeoning reputation as a creative midfield player who has been fast-tracked into Everton's first-team squad. He was highly regarded by Sean Dyche during his time in charge and deemed a player too good for the academy football but not quite ready for regular Premier League starts even though he has featured as a substitute.
The 18-year-old is highly thought of by Everton's hierarchy, which is why they handed him a new contract before he made his way to Pride Park. He gave a glimpse of his ability in a 2-0 win over Peterborough in the FA Cup earlier this month when a terrific pass that pierced through the lines to Beto was widely shared on social media.
It was a good example of what he can do, and there are countless other examples on YouTube of the courage he demonstrates in possession, something Derby have lacked throughout the season. They need somebody who can take the ball in tight spaces and unlock stubborn defences because that has been left to Kenzo Goudmijn, whose form continues to fluctuate.
The fans will hope that Armstrong can have the same kind of impact as Leon Osman, who turned out to be a hell of a loan signing from Everton which still gets talked about now given the impact he made. There have been some well-reasoned arguments as to whether Derby should have signed Championship-ready players, but David Ozoh is only a year older and has not found it a problem. His issue continues to be staying clear of injury and he is too influential, even at the age of 19, to be missing any further games.
Armstrong's arrival followed that of Sondre Langas' from Viking FK at the weekend for the princely sum of £4m, which was a significant outlay. The 23-year-old began training with his new team-mates yesterday and is regarded as one of Norway's most exciting prospects. Langas has at least boxed off the centre of defence that has also been strengthened with the addition of Matt Clarke for a nominal six-figure sum on a deal until the end of the season.
While there was natural disappointment at losing Eiran Cashin for a fee of around £9m to Brighton, a centre-back trio of on-loan Liverpool defender Nat Phillips, Clarke and Langas is what you would call Championship ready.
Lars-Jorgen Salvesen, meanwhile, is a significant upgrade on James Collins and has quickly impressed the supporters having already scored his first goal for the club in the 2-1 defeat against Cardiff City.
But where there is concern centres on the wide positions and with good reason. There was an exceptionally strong argument for adding a winger to the squad, but with one not arriving before the close of play, Warne faces a huge challenge moving forward. Solving it will be key to Derby's survival hopes.
Nathaniel Mendez-Laing looks out of form and confidence, Corey Blackett-Taylor doesn't seem to be durable and Kayden Jackson is a willing runner but does not possess the kind of individual craft usually expected from a winger.
Tom Barkhuizen looked lively when he came on against Sheffield United, but when he has started, he does not usually carry the same level of impact. Kane Wilson has looked the most threatening of the wide players and he has done that from full-back. He is currently injured.
If this is to provide Salvesen and Jerry Yates with the service they so desperately need, then there is some serious thinking to do about how the wide players can improve their contribution to the team in an incredibly strong division.
There is the free agent market that Derby could turn to if they wish as they did with Dwight Gayle last season, but the list is hardly full of sparkling names. It will do little to quell the worry of where the goals are going to come from in a team that needs to find a way to win and quickly. If it can do that, the gloom will quickly lift.
