Derby County must turn to Fulham for inspiration this summer: Opinion | OneFootball

Derby County's decision to draft in Paul Warne as Wayne Rooney's permanent successor last year following Liam Rosenior's interim spell certainly had the hallmark of being a wise move.

However, despite producing a number of promising displays with Warne at the helm, the Rams are currently at risk of missing out on a place in the play-offs later this year.

Due to a run of three defeats in four league games, the Rams are now only one point above their nearest challengers Peterborough United in the League One standings.

A failure to step up their performance levels between now and the end of the campaign could potentially result in Derby finishing outside the top-six which would be a major disappointment.

Having recently been beaten by Peterborough, the Rams know that they will need to be a lot better this weekend if they are to secure a positive result in their meeting with automatic promotion hopefuls Ipswich Town.

Regardless of what division Derby find themselves in later this year, Warne will need to bolster his options in a key area of the pitch over the course of the upcoming transfer window.

The Rams are currently only able to turn to two forwards (David McGoldrick and James Collins) for inspiration.

Given that there is no guarantee that McGoldrick will sign a new contract with the club and extend his stay past the summer, Derby will need to draft up a list of attacking targets in order to cover the possibility of the forward moving on to pastures new.

One of the players who should be on the Rams' radar for a loan move is Jay Stansfield.

Loaned out by Fulham to Exeter City earlier this season, Stansfield has shown some real signs of promise at St James Park during this particular spell.

The forward scored his sixth league goal of the term in the Grecians' victory over Barnsley last night and has also chipped in with seven assists for his team-mates.

Currently averaging a respectable WhoScored match rating of 6.71, Stansfield has demonstrated that he is capable of competing at this level and thus would unquestionably be a good addition to Derby's squad if they miss out on an immediate return to the Championship.

Stansfield also possesses the talent required to play at a higher level on a regular basis next season and therefore a move should also be on the cards if the Rams achieve promotion.

Unlikely to force his way into Fulham's side next season due to the presence of Aleksandar Mitrovic and Carlos Vinicius, another loan exit could be exactly what Stansfield needs at this stage of his career.