Chris Sutton has dropped a huge verdict on Paul Warne and how he hopes Derby County fare in the Championship next season.
Derby County achieved an incredible promotion back to the Championship on Saturday. A 2-0 victory over Carlisle United sealed a destiny that the club had craved following their relegation from the second tier in 2022.
The promotion belonged to everyone involved with Derby, particularly David Clowes, who revealed he bought the club because he didn’t want supporters to be deprived of such moments.
It was the Rams’ first promotion since 2007 when they returned to the Premier League and the cause for celebration was palpable after everything the club has been through over the past few years.
Derby will now prepare for a return to the Championship and it’s set to be a busy summer as 12 players are out of contract and Paul Warne will be given the funds to bolster his squad.
Chris Sutton drops verdict on Paul Warne and hopes for Derby County next season
Many figures in the footballing world have congratulated Derby following their promotion.
It’s an institution that is too big to be trapped in League One for several years, and Warne deserves huge credit for guiding the Rams there at the second time of asking.
Speaking on the It’s All Kicking Off! podcast, former Blackburn Rovers and Celtic striker Chris Sutton has dropped praise for Warne and revealed his hopes for Derby next season.
“Derby County, a club with great history, huge expectations, had a tough start to this particular season, I think they have had financial issues, so for him to get them over the line, that was my moment of the weekend,” Sutton said.
“Well done Paul Warne and Derby County. Huge club. Just hope next season that they can consolidate in the Championship.”
Paul Warne deserves huge credit for promotion
With the squad Warne has built at Derby, it’s hard to believe he couldn’t spend due to EFL regulations.
This forced the club to look at players on a free transfer or loan instead of flexing their financial muscles.
Ultimately, this made it more challenging for the club to sign players, but it did see them unearth gems like Curtis Nelson and Joe Ward, capturing them on free transfers from Blackpool and Peterborough.
It isn’t easy to build a promotion-winning squad when you can’t spend a penny however, Warne has proven that solid business can be done with loans or free transfers.
The majority of Derby’s squad, including Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, Conor Hourihane and James Collins were all signed on a free transfer.
This situation has also seen academy graduates Eiran Cashin, Louie Sibley and Liam Thompson flourish in the third tier.
Warne therefore deserves all the praise in the world for working with limited resources.
The post 'I think...': Chris Sutton gives Paul Warne verdict and outlines hope for Derby County next season appeared first on Derby County News.
