Paul Warne is reportedly shopping in the loan market this summer as he aims to flesh out his current Derby County squad.
Warne will be looking for cost-efficient ways to strengthen his Derby squad in the transfer window and loaning players from the Premier League is a possibility.
Alan Nixon said the Rams are currently looking at a midfielder on loan, with Warne even revealing that he had phone calls with three different players on Monday.
This promising update points towards Derby revamping their midfield completely following the departures of Conor Hourihane, Korey Smith, Max Bird and loan revelation Ebou Adams.
Derby currently have just Tyrese Fornah, Darren Robinson and Liam Thompson in the squad, so Warne needs improvements in that area, and fast.
Here are three midfielders Derby could be targeting on loan…
Bobby Clark
The most obvious player Warne could be targeting is Liverpool attacking midfielder Bobby Clark.
Derby are said to be long-term admirers of the 19-year-old, who built on his two senior appearances in 2022/23 with several more chances in the first-team.
Not only did he score twice and provide four assists in 11 Premier League appearances, but he also featured 12 times in Jurgen Klopp’s senior side, including in the Europa League last 16 tie against Sparta Prague.
Clark scored one of six at Anfield, his first senior goal for the club, as Klopp lauded his development as “fantastic”.
To develop even further, a loan spell at Pride Park could be the perfect opportunity, especially having watched teammates Fabio Carvalho and Tyler Morton flourish at Hull City.
Tim Iroegbunham
Tim Iroegbunham is another player Warne could be looking at.
Currently at Aston Villa, where he played just 287 minutes across all competitions as Unai Emery’s men finished in the Champions League places, the 20-year-old could be loaned out this summer.
Iroegbunham needs to play regular football and with Villa looking to strengthen their midfield, especially if Douglas Luiz departs, this opens the door for the youngster to leave on loan.
The midfield destroyer – who can be likened to Adams for how he wins possession back – has already experienced game time in the Championship.
During the 2022/23 campaign, the “aggressive” talent impressed across 32 appearances for Queens Park Rangers and it was a surprise not to see him leave on loan once more.
If he is made available, several clubs will be eyeing him and Derby should be one of them.
Lewis O’Brien
Since starring in Huddersfield’s run to the Championship play-off final in 2022, Lewis O’Brien’s career has gone a bit downhill.
Although he made a move to Nottingham Forest that summer, he’s since featured just 17 times for the Reds in all competitions.
O’Brien was loaned out to MLS club DC United in 2023 and has just returned from a successful spell at Middlesborough.
The 25-year-old featured 23 times in the second tier and brought an abundance of energy and tenacity to Michael Carrick’s midfield.
Warne has previously touched on wanting more athleticism and O’Brien ticks that box, and some.
Carrick also described his character as “special”, so he’s not just a relentless talent on the pitch, but someone who can fit into the dressing room.
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