According to a report in TeamTalk, Derby County were keen on signing West Ham United winger Grady Diangana this past summer.
The 21-year-old was available for loan, and the Rams were in the market for a wide player.
West Bromwich Albion, however, won the race to sign him. Baggies boss Slaven Bilic was seemingly a major influence, with the Croatian formerly in charge of West Ham.
Derby ended up signing Jamie Paterson on deadline day. However, the Bristol City man was a surprise addition, and so far, he has struggled to make an impact at Pride Park.
Grady Diangana makes positive impact at West Brom:
Diangana, on the other hand, has shown Derby exactly what they are missing. The West Ham loan star has netted three goals in five games for the Baggies, including a brace at Luton Town.
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Capable of playing on either flank, Diangana averages an 81.6 pass completion ratio. Moreover, he has posted an average of 1.4 successful take-ons and 1.4 key passes per Championship game.
Derby, meanwhile, have altered their wide players this season. Martyn Waghorn and Tom Lawrence are currently on either flank, but both are more suited to central positions.
The failure to sign a decent winger this past summer has caused Derby problems. Manager Phillip Cocu has had to play players out of position to accommodate, and it’s taking its toll.
While the Baggies remain unbeaten and sitting in the playoffs, the Rams are struggling. One win in seven games leaves Cocu’s side in the bottom six and next up they face Leeds United at Elland Road.
Derby must look to eradicate a poor summer in January, but by then it could already be too late in terms of pushing for a place in the Championship’s top six.