Derby County have reportedly won the race to sign a striker who Paul Warne previously worked with at Rotherham United.
Derby supporters can get excited about the new Championship campaign following the fixture list release and the unveiling of the new home kit.
That good news has also been supplemented by activity in the transfer market as the Rams have reportedly won the race to sign Ben Osborn, with the player undergoing his medical on Thursday.
Osborn would be their first signing of the summer transfer window following his release from Sheffield United and the former Nottingham Forest man could be joined by a new striker through the door.
Derby County have ‘beaten off interest’ for Swansea striker Jerry Yates
According to journalist Pete O’Rourke, Derby have beaten off interest from Championship rivals Blackburn Rovers, QPR and Stoke City for the loan signing of forward Jerry Yates from Swansea City.
Investing in a forward position is a priority for Warne, who currently has just Conor Washington and James Collins at his disposal heading into pre-season.
That pair alone won’t cut it in the second tier and as Derby scored the fewest goals of sides that finished in the league’s top six, adding firepower to their ranks is necessary for survival.
At the age of 27, Yates is an experienced Championship striker and last season, he netted eight times for Swansea in 43 appearances as Luke Williams’ side finished in 14th.
Yates has never been the most prolific striker having bagged just 31 goals in 152 appearances in the second tier however, there is a key reason why he could be a fantastic asset for Derby.
Paul Warne worked with Jerry Yates at Rotherham United
Warne managed Yates for a brief spell at Rotherham, appearing 46 times under his management across four seasons.
That was between 2014 and 2018 as the Millers battled for promotion out of League One before scrapping for survival in the Championship.
The Derby boss mentored Yates as a young player learning his trade and now, he’s an experienced centre forward who Warne has spoken highly of previously.
Speaking in 2022 when the English talisman was playing for Blackpool, Warne said: “They’ve got Jerry up front. We had a team meeting yesterday and showed them how hard Jerry works and what a good player he is.
“You sort of forget that there are only a few in our dressing room that played with him. He was brilliant here and I loved working with him.”
Warne has also explained how he wouldn’t enjoy him causing their backline problems and in that sentence, he was referring to the strikers’ incredible engine to press and force the opposition into mistakes, an attribute he’ll be looking forward to watching at Pride Park.
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