Pundit impressed by Derby County and reveals which transfer can put them 'in business'
by Leigh Curtis · Derbyshire LiveDon Goodman has been impressed by Derby County's transfer business and feels they will see a big improvement this season, but doesn't believe they are playoff material just yet.
Derby have had an exciting transfer window during which 10 players have arrived and their business shows no signs of slowing with Eustace hoping for two or three "quality starters".
Winger Koki Saito is the latest player to have piqued Derby's interest with the Lommel winger having been put in the £5m bracket.
The club has also invested in the front end of the pitch with Carlton Morris and Patrick Agyemang both costing fees with the latter moving from Charlotte FC for £5.9m.
It is going to take time for everybody to gel, but Goodman has seen enough to suggest that Derby will enjoy a stress free season having avoided the drop last term.
"I'm really pleased to see, first of all, that the football club is on such a sound financial footing that they can pay £4 or 5 million to bring a striker in," Sky pundit Goodman told compare.bet.
"I don't know what the exact figure is for Patrick Agyemang, but it was a decent chunk.
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"They've also attracted Rhian Brewster, Carlton Morris and Andi Weimann. So, straight away, a team that struggled for goals and only scored 48 goals last season, now has four very capable strikers, with three of them proven at Championship level.
"I know Rhian Brewster hasn't been particularly prolific at Sheffield United, but at Swansea City, he was almost unplayable some weeks that I saw him. If they can get that Rhian Brewster back, then they're in business.
"I felt that, on the back of last season and just surviving relegation on the final day, there needed to be some strengthening throughout the team..
"But my biggest worry for Derby, and maybe the thing that holds them back from challenging for a playoff spot, for instance, is the lack of athleticism in their defenders. Although they had a good defensive record because John Eustace gets teams well drilled, well organised, and hard to break down. I don't see too much athleticism in that defence.
'But I love John Eustace, he's a very proven Championship manager. They've backed him, and I think they'll see a big improvement from what they got last season. The other thing is that they had the fourth-lowest amount of average possession last season.
"I think in this version of the Championship, which is deeper in terms of quality, you need to have more of the ball to be challenging for a top-six spot, even though a team like Millwall last season might tell you otherwise."
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