Derby County should take a calculated gamble by signing a player who has just been released by a Championship club.
After winning promotion back to the Championship, Derby County find themselves in a difficult position.
The Rams wanted to build on the core of their promotion-winning team, but as 12 players saw their contracts coming to an end and six have been released, Paul Warne has to overhaul his squad this summer.
Warne’s main area of priority is midfield, as following the departures of captain Conor Hourihane, Korey Smith, Max Bird and Ebou Adams, Derby are left with just teenager Darren Robinson, academy graduate Liam Thompson and former Nottingham Forest man Tyrese Fornah.
Ideally, the club capture at least three new midfielders to eradicate the void left behind by Bird, Adams and Hourihane while building on the core of their squad.
A return to the second tier brings new possibilities in the transfer window as they’re no longer hamstrung by EFL restrictions, but they could still look for inspiration in the free market by signing a talented midfielder.
Derby County could replace Max Bird with Greg Docherty
After returning on loan in January, Bird’s 14-year association with Derby has come to an end as the 23-year-old returned to Bristol City.
Ultimately, replacing the academy graduate in the market would cost a sizeable amount, but they can offset that void by capturing Greg Docherty on a free transfer.
The energetic Scottish midfielder has just been released by Championship rivals Hull City, ending his four-year stay in East Yorkshire.
Docherty played a key role in earning Hull promotion back to the second tier in 2021, accumulating 10 goal contributions in 41 appearances.
The 27-year-old became a fan favourite at the MKM Stadium due to his willingness to cover every blade of grass and leave it all out there on the pitch.
Docherty continued to play regularly, despite his side stepping up to the Championship, making 75 appearances across the following two seasons. However, his involvement became restricted when Liam Rosenior arrived as he preferred the likes of Jean Michael Seri, Tyler Morton and Regan Slater over him.
That wasn’t a reflection of his ability, but more so the aspirations of Hull, who were aiming to challenge for the play-offs, missing out by just three points last term.
The midfield “machine” – as hailed by former manager Grant McCann – only made one league start in 2023/24 and is ready to embark on a new chapter of his career.
What Greg Docherty would bring to Derby County
Although the technical side of Docherty’s side lacks, averaging just a 71% pass completion in the Championship, he makes up for that with his lung-bursting runs and power from midfield.
Docherty is willing to run through brick walls for the team and having him in the side is like watching two players. His energy and tenacity are second to none while his ability to contribute from deep is another asset to his game.
In his League One title-winning campaign at Hull, he produced five goals and five assists. If Warne allows him the freedom to maraud forward, he can certainly build on that total.
Without Bird, Derby will also lack a ball-carrying machine, someone to get them up the field. Docherty is deceptively quick when running with the ball and can be a crucial component to powering past the press.
A workhorse midfielder with the capacity to produce the spectacular, snapping up the Scotsman on a free transfer would be an excellent piece of business.
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