Paul Warne has set his sights on another midfield signing for Derby County this summer.
Paul Warne has made it clear that he wishes to completely transform his options in the middle of the park for Derby County ahead of the 2024/25 Championship campaign.
Korey Smith, who has now sealed a move to League One side Cambridge United, was one prominent figure from the 2024/24 League One promotion winning campaign that will no longer be around, as will Conor Hourihane.
Warne has since strengthened his midfield options with the signing of Dutch midfielder Kenzo Goudmijn from AZ Alkmaar.
He has followed the likes of Ben Osborn and Ebou Adams, with Adams sealing a move to Pride Park after his successful loan spell with the Rams last season.
Derby County now have plenty of options in the middle for Warne to choose from, however the Rams boss is targeting another young midfielder, this time from Premier League side Crystal Palace.
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Crystal Palace youngster David Ozoh tracked by Derby County
Warne has reportedly identified young Crystal Palace midfielder David Ozoh as a potential target ahead of the Championship campaign, per Darren Witcoop on X.
Derby County are reportedly ‘interested in taking on ‘tracking’ the midfielder from Crystal Palace in a loan move, however they do face tough competition from other Championship clubs, with recently relegated Luton Town also chasing the 19-year-old.
Championship clubs Plymouth Argyle and Cardiff City have also joined Derby County in their pursuit for the youngster.
Ozoh featured for Crystal Palace throughout the 2023/24 campaign, tallying nine substitute appearances in the Premier League.
The Crystal Palace youngster has also applied his trade as part of the England youth set-up, having made five caps for the U18’s.
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Derby County’s Ben Osborn could be crucial in David Ozoh’s loan move
If Derby County manage to strike up a loan deal for Ozoh from Crystal Palace, that’ll be Warne’s fourth midfield signing of the summer.
New midfield signing Osborn could be one figure that may be crucial in the development of Ozoh, if Crystal Palace decide to loan the youngster to Derby County.
With his 61 Premier League appearances, as well as 266 games in the Championship, it’s likely that Osborn’s ability to be utilised in a mentoring role for Ozoh could help favour Derby County in the eyes of Crystal Palace.
Not only will the South London side be adamant that Ozoh is given sufficient game time, but they will also want the guarantee of him learning from model professionals who have plenty of experience in the game.
The long term benefits of this loan move could be crucial as well, with Crystal Palace having a top-tier academy, something that Derby County could benefit from if Ozoh is given a successful loan spell at Pride Park.