Derby County should turn their attention to Crystal Palace talent after West Ham admission | OneFootball

Highlights

Derby County have had a relatively strong season so far under Paul Warne as they look to get back to the Championship. Despite that, they will be looking for new recruits in January.

Warne took the job in September last year and he narrowly missed out on the play-off places as they finished in seventh place, one point off getting the chance to compete for the last promotion spot.

This time round, as it stands, it looks like it will be another tight battle for the top six, but Derby have started relatively well.

After 18 games, they sit in sixth place on 33 points and are just six points off the top-two, albeit with the warning that the side behind them, Barnsley, are just two points behind adrift.

Another striker in January could be key for Warne and give his side an advantage in the promotion race but it is unlikely that West Ham's Divin Mubama will be the player coming through the door in the winter period.

Why is Divin Mubama unlikely to join Derby County?

Mubama has been on the periphery of the West Ham senior team for some time, with supporters of the London club eager to see what he can do. He was struggling to get much game time with Michail Antonio and Danny Ings in front of him in the pecking order, but that was until the Hammers faced Burnley in one of their most recent league games.

David Moyes threw on the 19-year-old and he rescued the game for them by getting the equaliser with ten minutes to go to start the comeback. He was then given a start in their vital Europa League win against TSC Backa Topola.

It is looking like he is set to be more involved now for West Ham, and Warne has accepted that, as he said: "My honest answer is that I am aware of him as everybody is but the reality of that happening is slim to zero."

Therefore, Derby will be looking at other young strikers to bring to the club on loan, and Crystal Palace could have who they need with Ademola Ola-Adebomi.

Would Ademola Ola-Adebomi be a good signing for Derby?

Ademoli Ola-Adebomi is a 20-year-old striker who has come through the youth set-up at Palace, but he has yet to make his debut in senior football, with Roy Hodgson reluctant to use the younger players.

So far this season in the Premier League 2, he has played eight games, scored seven and got one assist, showcasing his immense talent at a growingly impressive level. In the same youth competition last season, he scored eight goals. In the under-18 Premier League in the 2021/22 season he managed to find the back of the net 14 times in 23 appearances.

It is clear to see he has a natural talent for scoring goals, but it is always a massive step-up to do it in the senior leagues.

He would be very eager to prove himself at the men's level, so he'd definitely give his all at Derby, whilst Warne could have a wildcard at his disposal which other sides won't have when going for the top spots in League One.

He is a different option to what Derby have at the top of the pitch right now, and one that will be needed especially as Conor Washington has torn his ankle ligaments.

Warne has Martyn Waghorn and James Collins at his disposal, whilst he has also started giving 18-year-old Dajaune Brown a chance. Waghorn has been in decent form, scoring six goals in the league, whilst Collins has been the standout for The Rams with ten goals in all competitions, but Ola-Adebomi is a different style to the pair of them.

With his enormous frame, the Palace youngster is taller than the duo, whilst he has also shown how quick he can be with some of his goals for the academy. With one of those players he could even make a new partnership for League One to fear, or if he were to start alone the wingers - Tom Barkhuzian and Nathaniel Mendez-Laing - he could be a fantatsic target for them to play off.

There is certainly some risk, as Ola-Adebomi might not be up to the task given he's untested at the level, but if that is the case, the worst-case scenario is that for the remainder of the campaign, he doesn't feature. Yes, the club will have to contribute to his wages, and he loses some game time, but he will still be developing in training and, therefore, overall, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.

Derby should, at the very least, ask the question.