Claim made on Bobby Clark's Derby County situation amid £6m Celtic transfer link | OneFootball

FLW's Derby County Fan Pundit has backed the Rams to keep hold of Bobby Clark after Celtic were previously interested in the midfielder.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Bobby Clark has been a revelation for Derby County in recent weeks, with the RB Salzburg midfielder becoming a real star at Pride Park.

The former Liverpool youngster joined the Rams from Salzburg in the summer transfer window on a season-long loan, before making his debut in the first round of the Carabao Cup against West Bromwich Albion in August.

Since then, the 20-year-old has gone on to rack up 28 appearances for the East Midlands outfit, scoring twice, while also registering an assist. His performances over the last month have been particularly bright, and John Eustace has already been able to rely on the youngster in the heart of his midfield.

However, Celtic were reportedly interested in Clark back in October, and were planning to make a £6m move for the son of ex-Newcastle United man Lee Clark in the January transfer window. But that threat has eased, much to the delight of one Derby supporter.

Derby County backed to avoid Bobby Clark exit in January transfer window

With Clark such a vital player for Eustace, it's of huge importance that he stays at Pride Park until the end of the season.

Celtic have had a difficult campaign, and when asked by Football League World if the Rams should expect to keep the young midfielder at the club this month, Derby Fan Pundit Shaun Woodward said: "The rumours about Bobby Clark moving to Celtic have definitely died down, which probably coincides with the managerial changes and the goings-on behind the scenes at Celtic. So, they probably had more urgent matters to deal with.

"Hopefully, that's been squashed now because he's an integral part of the team and he's been one of our shining lights through quite a difficult period for us since Morris and Ozoh were out injured.

"It'd be great to keep him; he’s thrived in that central midfield position of late. He's got bags of energy. He wants to get on the ball. He's a really talented young man, and he's only going to get better when he starts to play with better players as well."

Shaun continued: "So, hopefully he'll stay with us the rest of the season and then I wish him all the best when he moves on to probably a bigger and better club, as much as I hate to say that. I'd love it to be with Derby, but he probably does deserve a shot at a higher league after this season.

"But hopefully he just stays with us for the rest of the season and gets us to a solid place in the league where we’re not actually looking over our shoulder."

Bobby Clark continues to shine at Derby County

With Oscar Fraulo's arrival, the Rams are finally getting the ball-playing midfielders through the door that they need to play a more attractive brand of football, which is something supporters want to see.

The Danish midfielder adds more competition in the middle of the park, but he is also someone who can link up with Clark and the 20-year-old will only flourish alongside his new European teammate.

Adding more goals and assists to his game is something that the loanee will be looking to do in the second-half of the season, and if he does, then his stock will only continue to rise.

Derby fans have already started to fall in love with Clark, and if he can help push them into the top 10 by the end of the season, it'll have been a job well done by all at Pride Park.