“Something isn’t right” - Derby County hierarchy questioned over transfer exploits | OneFootball

Derby County owner David Clowes has come in for criticism after their hectic January window.

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 been told they are ‘three or four players short’ after the January window, as they battle to stay in the Championship.

The Rams are enduring a torrid time right now, with Paul Warne’s side having lost seven league games on the bounce, with their last victory coming on Boxing Day, which has seen them drop into the relegation zone.

Derby County’s January transfer business

Therefore, the fans are understandably nervous about the situation, and the January window offered the chance for the club to address some issues in the team.

Derby were busy last month, with four new arrivals coming through the door. Sondre Langas and Matt Clarke have boosted options at the back, with midfielder Harrison Armstrong joining from Everton on loan, and Lars-Jorgen Salvesen was brought in to offer another option up top.

However, it wasn’t all good news for Derby, with Eiran Cashin joining Brighton in what was the most high-profile exit at Pride Park.

Derby County criticised for lack of January activity

Even though the sale of Cashin was late in the window, it should’ve given Derby more financial power to strengthen the squad.

There was some disappointment among the fan base that more wasn’t done, particularly given how much Warne’s men are struggling.

So, when quizzed by FLW about whether the Derby hierarchy should’ve done more in the window, fan pundit Shaun was adamant that the club have left the manager short in terms of the quality and depth in the squad, as he questioned why more attacking additions weren’t finalised.

“I don’t want to be too critical of David Clowes because of what he has done for Derby, but it feels to me that we’re three or four players short in that transfer window to be competitive and to survive in this league.

“We were told that we had a competitive budget in this January window, and that was before the Cashin sale. So, in my opinion, we had quite a bit of money to go and get these players that we desperately needed in the offensive positions, which we haven’t really done.

“We’ve brought in a couple of centre-backs, to replace the ones we lost. We’ve brought in a centre-forward, and a young, untried central midfielder. But, we desperately needed wingers, full-backs and probably another forward.

“I don’t know who’s to blame for why we didn’t get those players. You could look at Warne, is it the style of football that he plays? Do players not want to play for us? Or is it Clowes not releasing some of those funds? I don’t want to blame Clowes due to what he has done for us, but something isn’t right, and for me, we haven’t done enough. We had to sack Warne, or back him, and I don’t think we’ve done either.”

Ultimately, Derby’s window will be judged in the summer, and if they aren’t successful in their quest to stay in the Championship, then criticism is sure to be directed at Clowes and the recruitment team.