Derby County must hand ‘brilliant’ 2023 signing new contract, he’s crucial to Paul Warne 

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Derby County have built a sustainable football club under the stewardship of owner David Clowes and manager Paul Warne.

Derby shifted their recruitment strategy in the summer to match their plans for the future.

Paul Warne released multiple first-team stars who were over the age of 30, namely Martyn Waghorn, Conor Hourihane and Korey Smith and targeted younger players with a bigger sell-on value.

The Rams captured several stars who either had huge potential such as Kenzo Goudmijn and David Ozoh or players approaching their prime, including Ebou Adams, Kayden Jackson and Ben Osborn.

It’s a plan that has paid off emphatically so far, with Derby currently sitting 12th in the Championship table after collecting four wins from nine games.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
10	Oxford UnitedOxford United	9	3	3	3	13	11	2	12
11	SwanseaSwansea	9	3	3	3	8	6	2	12
12	DerbyDerby	9	4	0	5	12	12	0	12
13	Hull CityHull City	9	3	3	3	12	13	-1	12
14	PlymouthPlymouth	9	3	2	4	10	13	-3	11

To continue building a sustainable future, however, Warne must hand one of his key young players a new contract to reward his talent and potential.

• READ MORE: How Derby County star Ebou Adams fared in Gambia’s 1-0 win over Madagascar 

Derby County must hand Kane Wilson a new contract

Derby captured wing-back Kane Wilson following his release from Bristol City in the summer of 2023.

Wilson was integral to Warne’s men winning promotion from League One last term, as he supplied three goals and two assists.

Predominantly deployed as a right-back or wing-back depending on the system last term, the Englishman has found starts harder to come by this term with Ryan Nyambe fully fit.

However, in three Championship starts, he’s showcased his attacking prowess by recording 2.2 (65%) of his dribbles per game, 0.4 key passes and created one big chance.

Considering he missed four games with a hamstring injury, Wilson has still looked sharp, either starting ahead of Nyambe or coming off the bench and he’s deserving of a new contract.

The 24-year-old only signed a two-year deal when he arrived in 2023, which means his contract expires next summer.

Derby can ill afford to let a ‘brilliant’ talent depart for nothing and must therefore put an offer on the table.

• READ MORE: Derby County 2024 signing reveals which ‘important’ factor of the English game he had to adapt to

Kane Wilson vs Ryan Nyambe

Warne is blessed to have two quality right-backs at his disposal who push each other to start.

While Nyambe is arguably one of the best one-vs-one defenders in the division, there’s an argument to say that Wilson is better going forward as his ball-carrying ability and crossing are two invaluable weapons.

This weekend, Derby travel to Millwall looking to extend their unbeaten run at the Den to four matches.

One selection dilemma Warne has is whether to go for the more defensive Nyambe or the attacking Wilson.

Considering Millwall is a difficult place to go, Warne will perhaps opt for Nyambe however, his positional rival can come off the bench and make a huge impact.