Derby County owner Mel Morris has told the Derby Telegraph the club will be active in the transfer market this summer.
The Telegraph recently published a story saying how Derby are towing the line in terms of Financial Fair Play. The EFL recently punished Birmingham City for falling foul of the rules, docking them nine points.
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But Derby reportedly claim they have stayed within the financial operating limit. And now, Mel Morris has gone into further depth in terms of wages and what the summer ahead holds.
Something like 40% of our wage bill is associated with players who have barely featured or who did not feature at all in the 2018-19 season so far. The cost of that is for me to write a cheque every month for about £1.25m just to pay the 40% of the squad that aren’t utilised.
Morris adds that he doesn’t blame manager Frank Lampard for that staggering statistic. Several high-earning players were bought before Lampard’s arrival, and they don’t fit the style of play he wants to implement.
The Rams owner adds that many of those players are to leave the club this summer when their contract expires. The remaining lot are due to leave in 2020, with Morris adding:
Our wage bill will go down next year substantially, which is helpful for FFP (Financial Fair Play) and getting our costs under control. So we have got an opportunity in this summer window to probably bring in players that are more in the style and in the profile of the players Frank would ideally like to have.
The players set to leave Derby County:
Those players not featuring include the likes of Jacob Butterfield, Alex Pearce, Marcus Olsson and Nick Blackman. Moreover, some squad players – Bradley Johnson, Craig Bryson and David Nugent – are also expected to leave.
Derby are set to have a big overhaul this summer. The calibre of players that the club will sign will depend on what division they feature in next season. Promotion is still very much a possibility this term.
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Despite a run of just two wins in their last ten games in all competitions, the playoffs are still in Derby’s hands. The Rams sit just two points behind the top six with a game in hand as they host Rotherham United on Saturday.
Also see: Frank Lampard shares Mason Mount news which will delight supporters.
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