Derby County told why a 'cheeky bid' for Sheffield Wednesday player makes sense | OneFootball

FLW's Derby County Fan Pundit has weighed in on the Rams' interest in Svante Ingelsson.

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…

Derby County have joined the race for Sheffield Wednesday midfielder, Svante Ingelsson, as the Rams look to capitalise on the Owls' transfer problems caused by administration.

That's according to a report by The Star, with John Eustace's side the latest Championship club to target the 27-year-old, with both Portsmouth and Millwall already having bids rejected for the Swedish-born ace.

The Rams have sold a midfielder of their own this January, with Pompey signing Ebou Adams for £500,000 earlier this month, and he has already made quite the impact at Fratton Park. However, with the East Midlands outfit plotting a top six finish, more cover is needed in the middle of the park.

Sheffield Wednesday are looking to bring in as much money as they can as supporters await news of a takeover, and after losing Barry Bannan to Millwall, fans will be disappointed to lose Ingelsson. But, for Derby, this could be quite the signing.

Verdict made on Derby County's interest in Svante Ingelsson

The Rams face Bristol City on Friday evening, and Eustace will be keen to ensure that he can add to his team in the days following the clash, with the transfer window set to close on Monday.

There has been plenty of interest in Ingelsson, and when asked if a bid should be tabled, Football League World's Derby Fan Pundit, Shaun Woodward, said: "I can see why we would be interested in someone like this.

"He's a big, strong, tall lad. He's a good age as well. The thing is, you've got to think that David Ozoh and Bobby Clark aren't Derby's players. We might not be buying those. Also, the injury record of Ozoh is concerning. Lewis Travis has also been out for a while this season. We've let Ebou Adams go. So, we are quite light in the middle."

Shaun continued: "Should we get an injury or one of those players goes back to their parent club, it’d be a bit lightweight in there. We've only really got Liam Thompson as backup, so I can see why we would be going for someone like Ingelsson.

"He's a big lad, and he would give us a different dimension in the middle. So, it’d be interesting to keep an eye on this one, and it'll be worth us putting in a cheeky little bid, I think."

Derby County lack permanent midfield options currently

Following Adams' departure, Derby have just five options to play in central midfield, and of those, only three have permanent contracts at Pride Park.

Clark and Ozoh will return to RB Salzburg and Crystal Palace at the end of the season at the end of their loan deals, and there is no guarantee that they will play for the Rams again once 2025/26 is over.

Therefore, it is vital that at least one more central midfielder is brought in before the end of the January transfer window, as this will take pressure off Eustace to find one in the summer, with Owen Eames a player who could step up from the academy full-time as well.

Ingelsson will want to play at as high a level as possible, and with Portsmouth threatened by relegation, Derby may just be able to pull off a deal. However, there will be strong competition from Stoke City and Millwall.