"A solid signing" - Claim made as Derby County plot Celtic transfer agreement | OneFootball

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's return to the Championship was sealed last weekend, and with an eye towards business in the summer, targets and reports are being thrown about.

One such target is young Celtic defender/midfielder Bosun Lawal, who has just spent the season on loan at Fleetwood Town, who have been relegated to League Two.

During his time playing for the Cod Army, he made his talents known by showing how capable he was at playing in various positions, as well as displaying an impressive eye for goal.

So with a midfield reshuffle very much on the cards at Pride Park, there could be a opportunity for yet another youngster to shine in a Derby County shirt.

Derby fan pundit discusses potential Bosun Lawal signing

The addition of Lawal to the midfield would be a mightily impressive signing for the Rams.

They are already definitely saying goodbye to Max Bird following his return to Bristol City, who loaned him back to the Rams after signing him. They could also be saying goodbye to the likes of Conor Hourihane and Liam Thompson who have contracts expiring this summer.

FLW's Derby County fan pundit Shaun Woodward has spoken out about the reported links to the Celtic man, why he feels he could be a good signing and how he may fit into Paul Warne's plans next year.

"He would be a solid signing I think," Shaun told FLW.

"He is an exciting talent and still very young. With that he will still be quite raw, but I'd be fine with that.

"He has played a lot of games for someone his age, especially this season, having featured in all of Fleetwood's games and, with that, he will have learned a lot about English football very quickly.

"Lawal has really relished the battle that he's been involved with at Fleetwood, considering those impressive minutes I've just spoken about. He clearly has an eye for goal too, as I think he's only behind Jayden Stockley for goals this season at Fleetwood.

"His height will definitely be something we want too, as I imagine he will be slotting into the three-man defensive system that Warne will play next year.

"Clearly, if he's playing the amount of games he has done in a struggling team, there can be no concerns about how well he may end up doing at Championship level with us."

Bosun Lawal will only boost Derby's midfield next season

No matter who Derby manage to keep hold of beyond this summer, or who they manage to bring back on a permanent basis, Lawal will only serve as an improvement to the side.

As discussed by Shaun, he is young and raw, and for Derby, that is a big attraction.

They have developed multiple youngsters in the past, and in turn, those youngsters have actually played big roles in the team.

You only have to rewind a few years to the team featuring Mason Mount and Harry Wilson that managed to triumph over Manchester United in the League Cup and made it to the play-off final only to lose out to Aston Villa.

Lawal, by the looks of his stats (6G/2A in 42 matches), will be a good option to deploy in the box-to-box role.

This would allow more creative midfielders like Hourihane to dictate the play from the centre of the park, or more defensive-minded midfielders like Tyrese Fornah or Liam Thompson to help cover the defence.

Derby will have to be wary, however, with their pursuit of Lawal, as they are not the only English side in for him this summer.

Ironically, it is fellow promoted side Portsmouth that are reportedly looking at the midfielder to help freshen up their options in the middle of the park in the first season back in the Championship since 2011/12.

Parent club Celtic are keen to hold on to the midfielder too if he impresses with them in pre-season, so Derby may not be able to bring in Lawal after all to help inject some youth into their midfield.

The Rams will certainly hope that next season is not just about surviving their return to the Championship, and will look to build a team that can compete back near the top of the table where many fans feel they belong, and if Lawal is part of that building, then there will be positivity building throughout.