Derby County questioned over £0 deal for ex-Coventry City star | OneFootball

Derby County have been questioned over their free transfer advances for a former Coventry City midfielder

Derby County are vying to enjoy a strong summer transfer window, having narrowly missed out on a Championship play-off place last term.

The Rams finished eighth in the second tier last season, four points adrift of sixth-place Hull City, who won promotion to the Premier League.

An eighth-place finish will be enough to finish in the play-offs next term, following the expansion of the competition.

Derby know they will have to recruit well this summer, though, to re-establish promotion credentials once again next campaign, following last term's relative success.

Derby County questioned over advances for ex-Coventry City midfielder

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The summer transfer window presents Championship outfits like the Rams with opportunities to sign players who have been released by their former clubs.

With that in mind, Football League World have exclusively revealed that both Derby and Queens Park Rangers have eyed Jamie Allen, who has left Coventry City following the expiration of his contract with the Sky Blues.

Frank Lampard is keen to bolster his squad following Coventry's promotion to the Premier League, while winning promotion to the top flight has also prompted the West Midlands club to part company with some players, such as Allen.

FLW asked our Rams fan pundit, Shaun Woodward, if he would welcome the addition of the 31-year-old on a free transfer.

Woodward said: "The Jamie Allen links don't really excite me, if I'm totally honest. We have (Lewis) Travis, who's a similar type of player, a solid midfielder.

"I don't really think you can play the two of them together, because it doesn't really give you much going forward. Unless he was to be backup to Travis, then I don't really see why we'd be looking to bring him in.

"The only thing is, being a free transfer, it's risk-free. Not one I'd really be putting at the top of our shopping list, if I'm totally honest. But, again, if (John) Eustace feels he can bring something to the squad, then I would fully support him.

"It's just not a name I would probably be getting too excited about."

Jamie Allen can provide Derby with needed squad depth

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Allen didn't play a key role as Coventry won the Championship title last season, as he was named in Lampard's starting lineup on just four occasions in the second tier.

However, the former Burton Albion and Rochdale man has played a key role for the Sky Blues over the years, helping them win promotion from League One before reaching the second-tier play-off final and an FA Cup semi-final.

The 31-year-old subsequently helped Lampard's men win promotion to the Premier League last term.

As Woodward alluded to, Allen is a similar profile player to Travis, meaning that Derby would be unlikely to benefit from playing both the former Coventry man and the ex-Blackburn Rovers star together.

However, the former Burton player has plenty of experience at Championship level, and the Rams need as much strength in depth as possible to help them finish in the play-offs.

Derby have been on a positive trajectory under Eustace's stewardship, and enjoying a strong transfer window this summer will help them maintain that.