Paul Warne must fix one alarming problem at Derby County to keep his side in the Championship next season.
Derby earned promotion back to the second tier with a 2-0 win over Carlisle United last month, sparking scenes of jubilation at Pride Park.
Some of the first-team squad have since enjoyed a trip to Las Vegas while Paul Warne has continued his plans for next season.
The Rams announced they’d be releasing six players from their contracts in June, with Conor Hourihane, Korey Smith, Martyn Waghorn, Scott Loach, Dwight Gayle and Joe Wildsmith all told to leave the club.
Warne has let go of some experienced players on that list however, a major issue he must resolve this summer is at the top end of the pitch, otherwise, Derby could be in big trouble.
Derby County struggled to score goals in League One
Derby’s defence was watertight, conceding a league-best 37 goals in 46 matches, with Curtis Nelson and Eiran Cashin forming the bedrock of their promotion push.
Departing goalkeeper Wildsmith won the division’s Golden Glove Award after keeping an outstanding 20 clean sheets last season.
Defensively, Derby look solid enough to tackle the Championship as their colossal partnership of Nelson and Cashin can hold their own while Louie Sibley and Ryan Nyambe are more than capable full-back options.
It’s in attack, meanwhile, where Warne could have his biggest issue. The Rams often struggled to put teams to the sword, winning a match by a one-goal margin on eight occasions and scoring the joint-fewest goals (78) of sides that finished in the top six.
Warne is eager to add pace and athleticism to his forward line to change that dynamic, as currently, it’s difficult to see where the goals are coming from.
Paul Warne must focus on attacking reinforcements
Derby’s current striking options, James Collins, Tom Barkhuizen and Conor Washington aren’t the most prolific, boasting a total of 23 league goals between them.
Collins ended as the club’s top scorer on 14 and discussions have emerged over giving the Irishman a new contract.
Still, there’s an alarming lack of quality at Warne’s disposal and question marks over each player’s ability at Championship level. Although Collins has hit double figures at Luton Town previously, a tally of 3 in 30 for Cardiff City doesn’t fill many with confidence.
The former Rotherham United boss must therefore focus on bolstering his firepower with proven second-tier sharpshooters. Those are difficult to come by without paying the premium, but as Warne has shown previously, he is more than capable of unearthing a bargain in the window.
After all, he did get Derby promoted without virtually spending a penny, so if David Clowes gives him a decent wad of cash, perhaps he can find one or two gems to fire his side to safety.
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