Derby County manager Philip Cocu may alter his transfer plans this month following the excellent performance from Andre Wisdom in the 1-0 victory over Hull City.
The Rams have made no secret of their desire to add another centre-back this month.
Derby are down to the bare bones there following Richard Keogh’s sacking. Curtis Davies, 34, and on-loan Matt Clarke are seen as the first-choice pairing.
But Davies’s absence against Hull forced Cocu into another change. Instead of opting for Craig Forsyth, the Derby boss selected Wisdom to play in the middle.
The former Liverpool man arrived at Derby in a projected £4 million deal back in 2017. He had previously enjoyed a loan spell at Pride Park at right-back.
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But Wisdom lost his place in the team last term following the emergence of Jayden Bogle.
Andre Wisdom returns to the first-team picture:
The 26-year-old has had to bide his time after returning to fitness, starting the successive victories over Charlton Athletic and Barnsley over the festive period.
Many felt Wisdom was unlucky to be dropped at Middlesbrough last week. However, Davies’s injury gave him another chance but this time in the middle of defence.
Wisdom didn’t disappoint. He arguably played his best game of the season, posting one tackle and four interceptions. On the ball, he exceeded expectations, completing 87.3% of his intended passes as he often instigated Derby’s attacks from deep.
The Rams have been linked with Leicester City’s Filip Benkovic. It seems they are waiting on their East Midland rivals to sign a replacement first before securing a loan deal.
But Wisdom’s performance may alter Derby’s stance. Instead of focusing at the back, perhaps Phillip Cocu may look at other areas to strengthen such as out wide.
Also see: ‘Fantastic; MOTM by a mile’: Some Derby fans rave about player’s role in Hull win
Also see: Cocu hits back at agent criticism over handling of £10m Derby player