2 players that could save Derby County millions of pounds | OneFootball

After two years in League One, Derby County can finally call themselves a Championship team once again.

The 2023/24 season wasn’t straightforward for the Rams, as they suffered some bumps in the road, but sticking with Paul Warne in the end seemed to benefit them massively.

Warne was able to galvanise the squad and they went on an impressive run of form that put them not just in promotion contention but in automatic promotion contention.

Derby soon started to tighten their grip on second place and they were able to confirm that finish on the final day of the season in style.

The Rams being back in the second tier will likely mean there are a few changes to the team this summer, but as well as looking at which players to buy, the club could already have a couple of players at the club who may be young but are ready to step up and save the club millions...

Harry Evans

Derby County look to be in the market for at least one new goalkeeper this summer.

The Rams have decided to let Joe Wildsmith and Scott Loach leave when their contracts expire at the end of the month, which leaves them with Josh Vickers as their only recognised senior goalkeeper so Warne will likely want to bring in a starter and maybe a new back up.

But as well as doing that, the Derby manager should also look at the club’s under-21s and maybe look to promote goalkeeper Harry Evans as extra cover.

The 19-year-old has been at Derby for a number of years now, as he’s represented the club’s under-18s on several occasions, as well as in Premier League 2.

Evans played seven times in Premier League 2 in the 2023/24 season, during which time he conceded 14 goals and kept one clean sheet.

The shot-stopper isn’t the finished article and still needs time to develop and continue playing in the club’s academy, but he should be considered someone who can get some experience of the first-team environment.

If Warne allows the player to become their third choice – with Loach slotting in as the backup – he can get used to more senior football and it could save them spending on bringing a new keeper in as well as giving them a potential number one option in future.

Adebayo Fapetu

Another player who is currently in Derby County’s under-21 set-up but may be ready for more first-team football is midfielder Adebayo Fapetu.

The 19-year-old started his career with Arsenal’s youth team but it wasn’t meant to be with the Gunners, and in 2021, he joined the Rams on a free transfer.

Since then, Fapetu has spent two seasons in Derby’s under-18s before moving up to their under-21s last summer.

In his first season playing in the under-21s, Fapetu played 15 times in the Premier League 2 last season, during which time he scored one goal and recorded one assist.

But as well as featuring in a lot of under-21 games, Fapetu also featured for Derby’s first team, as he played seven minutes in the FA Cup and twice in the EFL Trophy, totalling 88 minutes of football.

Fapetu is still very early in his career, but with the Rams seeing Conor Hourihane and Korey Smith leave at the end of the month, it may be time for the club to promote one of their younger players to the first team to save them spending too much signing replacements.

The 19-year-old isn’t the finished package, but he has tasted first-team football, and given how he has impressed, the 2024/25 season could be a chance when he is given more opportunities. Even if it means he makes the bench a lot but doesn’t always play, the experience of being in and around the squad would be huge for the player in the long term.