Derby County transfer prediction made after big Carlton Morris blow - 'we'll probably panic' | OneFootball

Fears over a panic signing at Derby County this January have been raised following Carlton Morris' lengthy injury

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 will miss their top goalscorer, Carlton Morris, for a prolonged period of time due to an ankle injury picked up in their 3-2 home defeat to Watford, and fears that the Rams will make a panic signing in the wake of the news in the January window have come to the fore.

Derby County began the season in awful form, winning just one of their opening ten league games, with head coach John Eustace coming under increased pressure to turn results around.

Fortunately for Eustace and Derby, their form turned around, and quite emphatically, winning six out of their next seven matches following their dismal run of form.

The Rams sit in 11th place, just three points off the play-off places, missing the chance to move level on points with 6th place Bristol City following defeat away to Middlesbrough in their most recent outing.

Their ambitions of a top-six finish this season have taken a massive dent recently, however, with their top goalscorer, Carlton Morris, sustaining an ankle injury against Watford, which will keep him sidelined for a prolonged period of time.

Manager Eustace said, "Carlton's injury isn't as bad as what we initially thought.

"At first we thought he might have been out for the season, but, touch wood, hopefully it will be between ten-12 weeks now.

“So, listen, it is positive and he'll be back February time where it'll be like a new signing."

With Morris out, fears that Derby may make a panic signing injury have emerged.

John Eustace's Derby County tipped for panic transfer following Carlton Morris blow

Football League World's Derby fan pundit, Shaun, has shared their opinion on whether they think the club will go for a replacement for the injured Carlton Morris, who is expected to miss a large chunk of the remainder of the season, and whether they may make a panic transfer.

Shaun said, "I hope I'm wrong, but being a Derby fan, you just always kind of prepare for the worst.

"I think we'll probably go all in to try and get a replacement for Morris, and then it'll either stumble at the last hurdle, leaving us little to no time to bring in another replacement.

"We'll probably panic, loan in a youngster who's unproven at the championship level, or we'll get our target and then, a couple of days before the end of the transfer window, one of our senior players will get injured, a key senior player, and then we'll have no time to replace them.

"I hope I'm wrong, because it would be terrible if that did happen. But just being a Derby fan, you always expect these things to happen.

"The fact that Eustace has brought in Johnston and Beck, who I think he thought in 3-4-3 formation, them two would be perfect as attacking wing-backs, and they're both out.

"We brought in Ozoh and Travis as well, and again, for the centre-midfield, both of those have been out.

"Brewster as well for one of those front three positions, with Morris as a figurehead, and they're all out.

"So it's just, we have rotten luck with injuries, and it would just be nice just for a January transfer window, we go out, and we get a replacement for Morris, no one gets injured, and we can move forward.

"But just always in the back of my mind, something's going to go wrong, because it always does with Derby."

Carlton Morris' injury is a huge blow for Derby County, with fears of a 'panic' transfer this January looming

Fortunately for Eustace, one area where he is not short on is his attacking options, posessing the likes of Ben Brereton Diaz, Patrick Agyemang, Kayden Jackson, and Lars-Jorgen Salvesen who can all operate as a loan striker, the latter of which was deployed in that position at Middlesbrough.

Eustace has preferred to line up his side in a 3-4-3 formation this season, with two attacking midfielders just behind the main striker, but almost operating as strikers themselves.

Morris is the Rams' top scorer by some margin, with ten goals in 16 games the joint-best tally in the league, level with Coventry City's Brandon Thomas-Asante, and seven more than the next top scorer in the Rams squad, Agyemang.

The 29-year-old, who signed from recently relegated Luton Town this summer for an undisclosed fee, will be a huge miss for Derby and Eustace, who will have to make do without his goal and find other ways to win games.

They will be hoping that Salvesen, who scored away against Swansea, can step up and take the mantle left by Morris so that the club don't feel pressured into making an unnecessary panic signing this January.