Derby County are aiming to cement themselves as a Championship club under Paul Warne.
Following their last relegation from the Premier League, Derby County spent a staggering 14 years in the Championship.
The Rams flirted with promotion on several occasions, finishing in the play-offs four times but ultimately coming up short in each attempt.
Then, amid financial uncertainty at Pride Park, the Derbyshire outfit were eventually relegated to League One at the end of the 2021/22 season.
Paul Warne has since taken charge and after two campaigns, has secured Derby a return to the second division.
It has been a positive start to life back in the Championship, with Derby earning a shock win over Middlesbrough before hammering Bristol City this past weekend.
However, despite six points from their opening four league fixtures, the threat of relegation still remains.
Sky Sports pundit names four crucial Derby County players
Derby do not have the biggest squad and their financial situation means they were largely limited to loans and free transfers in the 2024 summer transfer window.
However, the Rams were smart in how they spent their limited funds and several of their new signings have already been backed to be crucial this term.
Speaking on the Essential EFL podcast, Sky Sports pundit David Prutton backed the quartet of Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, Jerry Yates, Kayden Jackson and Ebou Adams to help Derby avoid the drop and become a competitive Championship team once more.
He said: “He (Warne) is amazing, but he knew the expectation and you saw the scenes when they went up and it was almost – knowing Paul like we do – loved it, but then instantly he was thinking about this season and knowing that he’s under scrutiny once again because Derby, with that first step back into where they believe they belong, should be competitive at this particular level.
“And again, when you look at the names that stand out on their team sheet with regards to the likes of Mendez-Laing, Jerry Yates, Kayden Jackson and Ebou Adams, they are very solid operators that should make this team competitive again.”
Derby County need more from Jerry Yates
Derby signed Yates on loan from Swansea City over the summer as they eyed more firepower up top.
Yates scored eight times in 43 Championship fixtures last season for the Welsh outfit and big things were expected of him at Pride Park.
However, the 27-year-old is still yet to get off the mark in a Derby shirt despite being the club’s primary striker in 2024/25.
The Rams have so far fared ok without his goal contributions but as the season wears on, it is imperative Warne has a striker he can rely on to start bagging goals on at least a semi-consistent basis.
Should Yates continue to struggle in front of goal, Derby’s chances of being relegated may increase.