There are just three days left of the January transfer window and Derby County are in the market for a few additions.
Although a striker remains a priority for Paul Warne, a midfielder is also on his agenda, but he must let a player go to bring one in.
Derby remain firm on their stance that midfielder Max Bird isn’t for sale during this window and while that decreases the chance of signing someone else in that position, Warne is still eager to invest.
Several central midfielders have been linked with a move to Pride Park, but the most prominent of those has been Reading’s Charlie Savage.
The Rams saw their enquiry for the Manchester United academy graduate knocked back earlier on in the window and although they remained keen on securing a deal, interest in the 20-year-old has since cooled.
Savage has scored twice in 26 League One matches this term as Reading have battled against relegation.
It’s been a miserable season for the Royals amid financial turmoil surrounding the club and now they face the prospect of losing their best players.
One of those is attacker Harvey Knibbs, whom Warne should target to boost their promotion hopes instead of Savage.
Why Warne should sign Harvey Knibbs over Charlie Savage
A product of Aston Villa’s youth academy, Knibbs rose to prominence as a player who can operate in numerous positions, including as a winger, attacking midfielder or striker.
The 24-year-old reached double figures for contributions for the U’s last term, scoring five and assisting five, predominantly as a number 10, where he played 17 of his 47 matches.
Upon their relegation to the Championship, Reading were able to snap up the talented player on a three-year contract in the summer and Knibbs has continued his stellar run of form.
A more developed version of his midfield compatriot Savage, Knibbs has provided dynamite in abundance, plundering seven goals and five assists in the third tier as well as four strikes in the EFL Trophy.
He has seriously impressed in the Royals’ attack as a left winger or attacking midfield and is their top scorer in all competitions. This has seen the ‘in-form’ attacker, as described by transfer journalist Pete O’Rourke, become of interest to several League One and Championship clubs.
Given Reading are three points from safety at the bottom of the table, Knibbs’ impact has prevented them from being cut further adrift whilst it isn’t just goalscoring where he’s outplayed Savage.
According to Sofascore, he averages more tackles (2.9/0.6), interceptions (0.7/0.4), shots on target (0.6/0.3) and successful dribbles (0.3/0.0).
If Warne did want to take advantage of Reading’s fire sale, he should scratch Savage’s name off the list and instead go for the sensational Knibbs to improve their attacking firepower.