Derby County had an excellent summer window but some of their new additions are faring better than others.
Paul Warne will have been well aware he needed to strengthen his first-team squad heavily in the most recent transfer window.
Derby County have just won promotion back to the Championship for the first time in two years and will be keen to avoid a swift return to League One.
In order to negate this, the Rams brought a staggering 12 new players to Pride Park in the summer of 2024.
Several of those names have already become integral parts of Warne’s set-up and have helped Derby secure nine points from a possible 15 this season.
Ben Osborn has impressed for Derby and is expected to be relied upon heavily in the coming weeks after another summer addition who has shone so far, David Ozoh, picked up an injury.
However, there are a couple of new faces, including Tawanda Chirewa, who are still yet to make their mark at the club.
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Why Paul Warne feels ‘sorry’ for Derby County player Tawanda Chirewa
Chirewa joined Derby from Wolverhampton Wanderers on a season-long loan at the back end of August.
The 20-year-old has bags of potential and looked a great capture for the Rams.
Chirewa made his Derby debut vs Barrow in the Carabao Cup last month, featuring for 45 minutes before being hooked at half-time.
However, the winger is yet to make another appearance this term, in part due to concussion protocols, with Warne recently explaining why he feels sorry for Chiewea, as per Derbyshire Live.
He said: “He played 45 minutes to brush the cobwebs off against Barrow, which seems like a different season. It almost feels like it was the 90s and I have just come out of watching Neverending Story.
“But because of the concussion protocol, I feel a bit sorry for him because you’re a little bit like a loner and he is not allowed to take contact for ages.
“He trained with the group for two days, played 45 minutes, left for international duty and then been through concussion protocols.
“But he’s a really intelligent kid. He’s an absolute sponge. If he came in and he’d give you a lecture like a Ted Talk, he’s some sharp nut. I’ve got him doing homework on other midfielders. And I’ve got him watching Norwich midfielders for next week because it feels like his days are undernourished at the moment.”
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Derby County will need Tawanda Chirewa this season
The Wolves loanee may have had a tough start to life at Derby, but Warne will definitely have to rely on Chirewa this season.
Despite all the new signings over the summer, Derby’s attack remains a weak point.
Nathaniel Mendez-Laing is the Rams’ starting right-winger at present and has performed adequately this season.
But with very little quality depth on either flank, Chirewa will have to step up at some point during the campaign.
He may still be a raw, inexperienced talent but the winger has the ability to cause problems for Championship defences.
Derby face Sheffield United in a league clash at Bramall Lane on Saturday afternoon but it is not currently known if Chirewa will be available for the tie as Warne didn’t give an update in his pre-match press conference.