Derby County target Ben Osborn is poised to join another club this summer, with Carlton Palmer now sharing his prediction.
With the summer transfer window edging closer, Derby County boss Paul Warne will be eager to get some additions across the line early doors.
The 51-year-old revealed last week that he had a chat with three individuals over the possibility of joining the Rams and although that is the usual protocol for any manager in the window, one of those players could have been Ben Osborn.
It has been reported that Derby ‘fancy’ a reunion with the 29-year-old, who started his career at Pride Park before moving on to arch-rivals Nottingham Forest as a youngster.
Osborn has recently been released by Sheffield United following their relegation from the Premier League, although manager Chris Wilder did want to tie down the Englishman to a new contract.
The Blades are currently in discussions over a new takeover and until that is ratified, the futures of their players are up in the air, and former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Carlton Palmer has predicted Osborn’s next move.
Carlton Palmer predicts Ben Osborn’s future
Although Osborn played 230 times for rivals Forest, most Derby supporters agreed he would be a cracking signing.
Palmer has echoed that sentiment by suggesting he’d be a good fit for the Rams however, with fellow Championship side Watford interested, he believes the Hornets could have the edge in negotiations.
Speaking to Football League World, he said: “You’re looking at what will happen at Derby under Paul Warne, they got promoted playing a really good brand of football, and Tom Cleverley, a young, up-and-coming manager, is looking to rebuild at Watford.
“You would think that the budget at Derby will be nowhere near the level of budget that will be available to Tom Cleverley.
“It’s not where you think will be the better fit, but I think Watford will have bigger coffers than Derby, that’s just as simple as it is.
“I actually think it would be a good move for him to go to Derby with some stability in the club, in the squad, whereas with Watford, you don’t know who is going to be manager from one month to the next.”
Where Ben Osborn would fit in at Derby County
Osborn’s affiliation with Derby is well documented and the experienced midfielder grew up watching the Rams alongside his father, who is a die-hard supporter of the club.
So, when Osborn joined Forest as a youngster, it understandably created a divide in the family, though he could now have an opportunity to return to his boyhood club.
The ex-Reds player is extremely versatile, capable of slotting into a central midfield role, on the flank or as a left wing-back.
Warne currently needs midfielders, and fast, so the addition of Osborn – who Wilder described as “invaluable” – would be great pick-up.
He would also offer current left-backs Callum Elder and Louie Sibley strong competition in the wing-back role. Warne must sign players who can cover multiple positions; Osborn ticks that box, and some.
For a cost of nothing, it’s difficult to find a player who has made 266 appearances in the Championship and won promotion, so Derby should race to snap him up.