Derby County's welcome player boost after Charlton Athletic links - "I thought he would be gone" | OneFootball

FLW's Derby County Fan Pundit Shaun believes it is a good thing that Joe Ward remains at Derby County, amid Charlton Athletic interest.

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 started the season with a bit of a wobble, with the Rams heading into the September international break on the back of collecting just two points from their opening two matches.

Having managed to steer clear from relegation on the final day of last season, courtesy of a goalless draw against Stoke City at Pride Park, John Eustace and the club have been able to embark upon quite an ambitious summer transfer window.

The Rams have brought in plenty of new additions and their squad now appears to be quite strong, and surprisingly deep, as they target a push towards the middle and perhaps even the top-half of the Championship table this season.

Injuries and a requirement for time to allow so many new signings to gel are mitigating reasons as to why the start has been such a slow one, but it is an old boy that grabbed the headlines on deadline day, with Joe Ward staying put in Derbyshire, amid reported interest from second-tier rivals Charlton Athletic.

Derby County are in a better place with Joe Ward at the club

Joe Ward joined Derby on a free transfer in the summer of 2023, following the expiration of his contract at Peterborough United, and he formed a part of Paul Warne’s squad that gained automatic promotion to the Championship a year later.

Ward only managed seven appearances in the league last season due to injuries, but he has started this season well, and FLW Fan Pundit Shaun Woodward believes it is a good thing that he remains at the club.

Shaun says: “I am a tad surprised, because I do think that when he was linked with Charlton, I thought he would be gone.

“He wants to be playing first-team football at his age, having just turned 30, and so he does want to be playing.

“I think that, at Derby, his playing time is going to be limited, but he has started the season really well and he’s impressed me.

“His dead ball delivery and his crossing is the best, or at least it is amongst the best in the squad, so I do think he offers us something different to the likes of (Max) Johnston, (Ryan) Nambe and (Kayden) Jackson.

“Ward can play in a wing-back role and can make an impact off the bench, whereas Nyambe is very defensive-minded and injury prone, so I do think there is a place for him.

“It is a case of how much playing time he is going to get, but he is obviously content with the role he has been given at the moment.

“I am happy that he’s stayed, because I do think that he gives us that real quality from a set-piece, from open play from delivery, because we’ve got some real target men now. We’ve got (Patrick) Agyemang, (Lars Jorgen) Salvesen and (Carlton) Morris, so he could be really crucial for us in the latter stages of games.

“I’m happy he’s stayed, and (in the end) I’m not really surprised we didn’t let him leave, considering the fact that Kane Wilson left.”

Joe Ward may not play much this season for Derby County

As outlined, the depth in Derby’s squad is now fairly remarkable for a side that many neutrals would still expect to be in and around the bottom-half of the table.

The departure of Kane Wilson has thinned out the options for the right-side of the defence, but Nyambe remains and Johnston’s arrival from Sturm Graz means that it remains a busy area of the pitch for Derby.

The expectation is for Eustace to chop and change between a back four and a back three dependent on the opponent, which makes sense given his tactical pragmatism.

Eustace and this Derby side will be expected to improve this season and evolve a bit, both in terms of their style and the personnel involved, and that could leave players such as Ward by the wayside.

However, his ability from dead ball situations could ensure that he remains an integral part of the squad in the modern day and more of a ‘finisher’ within the set-up rather than a starter.

Either when chasing the game, his set-piece ability could help County find a way of exploiting the opposition, or when shutting up shop, Ward could help Derby go to a more robust back three system as a wing-back.