“The real deal” - Derby County lauded for signing "absolutely unbelievable" gem | OneFootball

Derby County fan pundit Shaun has heaped praise on summer signing Kenzo Goudmijn.

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 enjoyed a positive start to life back in the Championship, with Kenzo Goudmijn among those to impress for Paul Warne’s side.

The former Rotherham chief was tasked with guiding the Rams to promotion from League One, and the next aim will be to establish Derby back in the second tier.

And, whilst it’s very early days, the signs are encouraging, with the side having picked up nine points from their opening five games.

Kenzo Goudmijn impresses for Derby County

Of course, it has been a real team effort to get the points on the board, and Warne has built a team that looks hard to beat, as they’ve recorded three clean sheets in the campaign.

However, there’s no denying that Goudmijn has been a standout figure going forward, with the 22-year-old scoring in the 3-0 win over Bristol City, and he got the only goal against Cardiff City last time out.

Therefore, it’s perhaps no surprise that FLW's Derby County fan pundit Shaun Woodward told FLW that he is very pleased with how the Dutchman has adapted to the Championship after a slow start.

“He looked a little bit lost when he first came in. He wasn’t quite up to speed with the game. You could see he had real class with his feet, but he was getting caught in possession a bit. He needed to up the tempo a bit when he received the ball.

“After the first few games, he has looked like a different player, absolutely unbelievable on the ball.

“He’s up to speed now, and Kenzie looks like a gem of a player, he has got used to the speed of the Championship, and he’s scored a few goals. His passing is brilliant, he is fit and firing, and he’s another one that looks the real deal.

“The transfer window looks like we’ve picked up some gems. I’m very, very happy with Kenzo, he is looking like the player we hoped he would be. Very impressed so far.”

Derby County’s summer recruitment is paying off

It was always going to be difficult for the Rams following their promotion from League One, as the reality is that they don’t have the financial power of many sides in the division.

So, the recruitment team was going to need to be smart, and it looks as though they have made some outstanding additions.

Many of the free transfer signings are contributing, and the money they have spent has been used wisely, with Jacob Widell Zetterstrom looking like a real coup in goal.

Then, of course, you have Goudmijn, who has shown his quality, particularly in the past two games, where he has scored crucial goals as the side picked up vital wins, and the £600,000 fee could turn out to be a real bargain.

It’s not just the goals though, as he does bring a technical ability that some of his teammates lack, and that ensures Derby have that touch of quality in the final third.

Again, it’s worth reiterating that it’s early days, but this was a big move for the player, and he could quickly become a firm favourite with the fans.