Derby County are finally set to put their long wait for a new goalkeeper to rest, with a deal seemingly agreed.
The Rams have been on the hunt for a new shot-stopper all summer, following an exit for last season’s number-one choice Joe Wildsmith and Scott Loach.
With the duo leaving, Paul Warne’s options in goal have been short during pre-season with Josh Vickers the only recognised first-team player.
Young goalkeeper Jack Thompson has been involved in recent weeks, while trialist Rohan Luthra has also been with the squad after his release from Cardiff City.
However, there have been continued questions over a new starting goalkeeper for Derby, which may now finally be answered.
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Derby County agree Jacob Widell Zetterstrom deal
Recent reports have claimed that Derby have agreed a deal with Swedish club Djurgardens for goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterstrom.
The fee is claimed to be worth roughly £1.4million, which will see the 26-year-old make the switch to Pride Park this summer.
It comes as a huge boost to Warne as the Derby County boss gets some clarity over his goalkeeping options.
That said, there is set to be a slight delay in any move should it be confirmed in the coming days of the transfer window.
The delay is linked to Djurgardens’ involvement in the Europa Conference League, with qualifiers set to play out this week and the week after.
The Swedish outfit take on Luxembourg side FC Progres, with a two-legged affair that will decide a place in the third qualifying round.
With Zetterstrom being their first-choice option, it appears as though he will feature in the first match this Thursday at the very least.
Reporter Anel Avdic of Swedish news outlet Expressen has claimed that the goalkeeper will feature, with a post on X translated to say: “JWZ [Jacob Widell Zetterstrom] plays on Thursday.”
When Derby could announce Zetterstrom deal
With the Europa Conference League likely to be a priority for Djurgardens, it could make an announcement for Zetterstrom quite awkward.
The Swedish team play on Thursday, July 25th in the first leg and one week later on August 1st in the second leg.
While the Rams could make an announcement between those two games, it remains to be seen what is agreed between the two clubs.
Warne hinted at some complications regarding a goalkeeper transfer last week as he told BBC Radio Derby: “There’s been a target in mind for weeks now but, there’s a complication to it which will become very evident once he signs hopefully but if not we have to persevere with another target.”
It remains to be seen whether this situation with Zetterstrom and the Europa Conference League was what the Derby boss was hinting at or if there is something else in mind.