Derby County close in on winger transfer as John Eustace pinpoints areas he wants to strengthen
by Leigh Curtis · Derbyshire LiveDerby County are reportedly closing in on a move for Koki Saito as they look to address their lack of wingers.
Derby are said to have matched Lommel's valuation for the Japanese wideman who enjoyed an excellent loan spell at QPR last season.
Birmingham City, QPR, and FC Twente had been keen on Saito, but Derby are currently leading the chase, according to the Telegraph's Mike McGrath. Derby's need for wingers has intensified over the last week with Corey Blackett-Taylor currently out injured for six weeks after sustaining a hamstring problem at Stoke.
The lack of authentic wide players was one of the reasons John Eustace changed his 4-2-3-1 system to five at the back for the 5-3 defeat to Coventry this afternoon.
Eustace confirmed that wingers are the positions he would like to fill, in his post-match press conference.
"I think in wide areas," he said when asked where he would like to strengthen.
"I think you can see today we changed our structure because we didn't really have any wide players available.
"We still want to bring in some players in midfield to help us in that area as well.
"There are still areas we need to improve."
Saito scored three goals in 42 appearances in all competitions for QPR last season, including one in their 4-0 win over Derby at Loftus Road.
The 24-year-old also registered two assists during his time with the Hoops.
How many wingers do Derby need? Have your say HERE.
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Sky Sports deal
Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle for the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games this season, an increase of up to 100 more.
£35
Every day, the DerbyshireLive football desk strive to deliver all manner of news, features and transfer-related stories as a part of our overall package of Derby County content.
Our dedicated reporter Leigh Curtis - who you can follow on X by clicking here - follows the Rams home and away and offers you comprehensive coverage from matchdays, press conferences and everything that happens in between.
So much happens day to day and sometimes you can struggle to keep on top of the very latest updates as and when they occur - that's why we have produced a daily newsletter which you can sign up to, for free, and which means you'll have a round-up of the key stories land in your email inbox. Sign up to the Derby newsletter here.
You can also get all your favourite content from DerbyshireLive's Rams team on WhatsApp. Click here to sign up for breaking updates about the biggest stories in and around the club.
If you prefer reading our Rams stories on your phone, consider downloading the DerbyshireLive app, in which you can personalise the content you see by selecting Derby County as one of your designated topics. You can get it from Apple here and for Android here.