Derby County have shown an interest in a player who Paul Warne previously acquired on loan at Pride Park.
Derby County have been extremely busy during the transfer window, with Paul Warne adding six players to his squad.
Notably, Warne has used the market to strengthen his midfield, adding Kenzo Goudmijn, Ebou Adams, Ben Osborn and David Ozoh in the engine room while signing Kayden Jackson and Jerry Yates as two striker options.
Derby may have bolstered their starting XI but the the Rams boss doesn’t plan on stopping there. He’s previously said that he expects three new faces to arrive before the curtain raiser against Blackburn Rovers and one of those could be yet another midfielder.
Derby County want to sign Sunderland midfielder Elliot Embleton
Although acquiring a new goalkeeper to replace Joe Wildsmith is the priority, having seen a £1.4m bid accepted for Djurgardens shot-stopper Jacob Widell Zetterstrom, Warne still wants to improve his midfield.
According to Alan Nixon, per his Patreon, the Rams have ‘taken an interest’ in Sunderland midfielder Elliot Embleton, while he reports that League One side Blackpool are looking to complete a full-time transfer shortly.
Derby signed the 25-year-old on loan from the Black Cats last summer but after making just two appearances for the Rams, he returned to Wearside with a torn thigh muscle that left him out for months.
Embleton has since made a full recovery from such a major setback, in what has been an injury-ravaged spell for the midfielder, who was previously sidelined with an ankle injury that required two operations.
Now, it appears Derby want to give the ‘excellent’ attacking midfielder a second chance to showcase his worth at Pride Park, but this time in the Championship.
Derby should avoid a move for Elliot Embleton
Sunderland could look to cash in on Embleton this summer as it’s unlikely the academy graduate will earn regular minutes ahead of multiple talented players, including Dan Neil, Jobe Bellingham and Pierre Ekwah in the engine room.
Embleton’s contract expires in 2025, so it makes sense as to why there’s interest in the Englishman but Derby should avoid any move for the player.
The former England under-20 international has endured a difficult few years and despite showing promise at Sunderland, where he scored eight and assisted six in their League One promotion campaign, injuries have denied him the chance to progress further.
Ultimately, the Rams need to sign players who are proven in the second tier and have positive injury records. Embleton does have the potential to be a decent performer in the Championship but at this current moment, he needs to be sent on loan or sold to a side in the third tier.
Indeed, if Derby have aspirations of staying up, they need to be aiming higher than signing Embleton.