Man City, Marcus Rashford and an English dream - who is Derby County target Jaden Montnor
The January transfer window is nearly upon us and Derby County will look to strengthen their squad after enjoying what has been a pretty solid start to the campaign.
Friday's win over Portsmouth lifted the Rams up to 14th in the table and the challenge now is to ensure the Rams achieve their ambitions of surviving and then thriving in the second tier.
The Rams have already been linked with a couple of attacking players as they look to bolster their frontline after Paul Warne spoke at how he wanted to add more goals to the team.
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Aston Villa talent Louie Barry is said to be on their agenda as is Aris Limassol's forward Jaden Montnor. But who is Montnor? What are his strengths and his background? Here DerbyshireLive takes a look.....
Where was he born and what's his position?
Even though Montnor has won international caps with Suriname, Montnor was born in Amsterdam. He is 22 years of age and plays predominantely on the flanks and can also play as a striker.
What's his background?
He was scouted by Manchester City at the age of 10 and actually spent a couple of months with the Premier League champions, but a move never materialised primarily because his mother, according to Montnor, was too young.
"You see all those big players. Nigel de Jong , Yaya Touré... I was allowed to train with them because I was accepted. My mother just thought I was too young."
After that, his footballing education began with Dutch side Zeeburgia, the club known as the "royal suppliers" because of their ability to produce players who go on to play much higher. That proved to be the case as Montnor moved to Utrecht to continue to learn his trade before further spells followed at AZ Alkmaar and then back to Zeeburgia. After a year with Almere City, Montnor then joined Austrian side St Polten where he starred in their junior team.
He scored an incredible 17 goals in 19 appearances and that was enough to see him make the jump to the first team where he scored eight goals in 32 appearances. That was enough to tempt Cypriot side Aris Limassol to make a move for him last year and he continues to make a name for himself. He has scored 15 goals in 60 appearances and featured in their Champions League and Europa Conference League campaigns last season.
What is his style like?
Predictably, there are YouTube videos that showcase his ability. He looks blisteringly quick and pace, as we all know, is something Paul Warne absolutely loves. In the highlight reels, it demonstrates his ability to play on the left or the right. Of the goals he scored, the ones that made the cut were excellently taken.
He would fit right into Derby's system particularly as Warne likes to play a 4-3-3 formation or 4-2-3-1 system especially at Pride Park. He can also play as a striker that underlines his versatility and has chipped in with a few headers too.
The player himself, however, compares himself to Manchester United's Marcus Rashford and AC Milan star Rafael Leao.
“I would describe myself as a Marcus Rashford or Rafael Leao, that type of player," he said. "I think more Leao, I think he is one of the best players at the moment. If you watch on TV, it seems as if he is not is so fast. But if you really watch his match: he passes you with ease. It is really unbelievable.”
What are his ambitions?
Montnor has previously spoken of his desire to play in England and Chelsea is a club that he has always had an eye on.
“I would like to go to England, but if a Dutch club suits me better, I will. Otherwise, my preference always to the Premier League. Specifically Chelsea,” Montnor said in an interview with voetbalprimeur.
But having seen some of the success Kenzo Goudmijn has had at Derby, could a stint in the Championship help his ambitions to play in the Premier League? Derby have already had success in recruiting from abroad in Goudmijn and Jacob Widell Zetterstrom and it's an area of the market they are continuing to explore.
What is his value?
According to Transfrmarkt, which some clubs in Europe use as a good indicator of transfer value, Montnor is valued at around £600k, but according to reports Aris Limassol would want in the region of up to £1m.
