According to a report by The Sun (May 13; page 59), Burnley are interested in signing Derby County’s Scott Carson.
The former Liverpool goalkeeper has been a successful signing for Derby during an otherwise poor spell of recruitment. Carson arrived in the summer of 2015 during a spending spree which reportedly topped £25 million.
From that summer, players such as Jason Shackell, Andreas Weimann, Darren Bent and Tom Ince are no longer at the club. Jacob Butterfield, Alex Pearce and Bradley Johnson, meanwhile, see their contracts expire this summer.
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Carson is the only one to be contracted to the club beyond this summer. His deal at Pride Park expires in 2020, having signed an extension in late 2016.
But amid Burnley’s reported interest, Derby may find it in their best interests to sell Carson now.
How Scott Carson lost his place at Derby County:
The 33-year-old started the season as the club’s number one. However, injuries in January saw former understudy Kelle Roos come into the team and the Dutchman hasn’t looked back since.
Roos has impressed between the sticks for Derby. He appears assured in terms of shot-stopping and catching, while his distribution is a big plus.
Since Frank Lampard became manager, the Rams have developed a possession-based style of play. Derby try to play the ball out from the back, and the goalkeeper’s role in that is vitally important.
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Roos has only conceded 15 goals in 17 Championship games since coming in. The Dutch-born shot-stopper has kept six clean sheets and has an average 65.9% pass-accuracy rate.
At 26, Roos has the best part of his career ahead of him while Carson, 33, is on the wane. Burnley surely wouldn’t be contemplating offering Derby a high fee for his services. But any fee is better than potentially nothing for a player likely to be second choice next season.
Also see: Derby County supporters react amid reports of new Craig Bryson contract talks.
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