Derby County need to defeat Stoke City in ex-West Brom player chase - he’s perfect for John Eustace | OneFootball

John Swift could add a lot to Derby County as they battle Stoke City for his signature.

After a nervy end to the previous season, Derby County secured their safety on the final day to ensure they will start John Eustace’s first full campaign in the Championship.

Despite those relegation fears last time out, you would expect Rams fans to be a lot more optimistic ahead of the new season in August.

That’s because Eustace has done a fine job since his appointment at Pride Park, with the team picking up 21 points from his 14 games.

Whilst it’s a small sample size, if they maintained those points per game over the full season, it would have put Derby in the play-off places.

Derby County enjoy a productive start to the transfer window

As well as the improvement under Eustace, it seems Derby are set for an exciting transfer window.

They have already finalised a deal for Luton Town striker Carlton Morris, in a deal that will be seen as a coup, and they are thought to be 'close' to signing USA international Patrick Agyeman in a $7m transfer, which would be another statement of intent.

Those two would bring real physicality and quality to the Rams, and Eustace will no doubt be hoping they can form a fruitful partnership in his preferred 3-5-2 formation.

John Swift can provide a different dimension to Derby County in attack

Yet, like most strikers, Agyemang and Morris will no doubt say that they will only be as good as the service they receive, and the next task for Eustace is to add more creativity.

Therefore, links to John Swift are very encouraging, as he could provide that cutting edge in the final third that Derby have sometimes lacked - although they do face competition for his signature from Stoke.

Even with the massive strides they have made under Eustace, scoring goals has been a problem for Derby. Under the new boss, they managed just 15 in 14 games, and only three sides found the net on fewer occasions last season, which is why the boss is making major changes up top.

So, bringing in Swift could solve a real issue for the East Midlands outfit, as he is a proven player at this level.

Whilst some will point to his final season at West Brom and be underwhelmed, as he managed just three goals and one assist, it didn’t tell the whole story, as Swift wasn’t always guaranteed a run in the team, and the change in management wouldn’t have helped.

In the three seasons prior, which included his final year at Reading, Swift recorded at least ten goal contributions in each campaign, which shows he can make a difference in the second tier, and, at 30, there should be no suggestion that he is over the hill.

At Derby, Eustace could make Swift the main playmaker, and the former Chelsea youngster could flourish with that responsibility.

The 3-5-2 formation will allow one midfielder to have less defensive responsibility, and Swift is the type of player who would relish that. He is capable of finding pockets in the final third and his right foot is excellent.

Another bonus would be his set-piece delivery, and the likes of Agyemang and Morris will love to attack the balls that Swift puts into the box.

As outlined above, this won’t be a straightforward deal to do, as Stoke are in the hunt to sign Swift, but if Eustace can convince him to join Derby, it would be another impressive bit of business as the ex-Blackburn chief really makes his mark at Pride Park.