Derby County player could leave if Paul Warne nails summer transfer strategy: View | OneFootball

Josh Vickers joined Derby County in June 2023 on a three-year deal after turning down an extension at Rotherham United but played second-fiddle to Joe Wildsmith last season and could find himself without a place on the bench if Paul Warne gets his targets.

Vickers, 28, was signed by Warne for Rotherham in 2020, helping the Millers to League One promotion two years later. But, after just 30 appearances in South Yorkshire, he reunited with his former boss at the Rams for the 2023/24 campaign.

The 28-year-old spent his first season at Pride Park mostly watching from the sidelines, with his colleague and competitor, Wildsmith, winning League One's Golden Glove with 20 clean sheets.

Despite the award, Wildsmith will leave the club as a free agent at the end of June, bringing an end to a two-year stay in the East Midlands.

Speaking on talkSport last week, Warne explained the reasoning behind his departure: "He was brilliant throughout. His contract ran out. We spoke about a new one last season, and it broke down, so we moved on. I want to sign a better number one than the ones I’ve got."

Why Vickers struggled to make his mark

Although the former Arsenal youth keeper had been signed to give Wildsmith competition, he failed to best the Rams' first choice for the majority of the season.

A red card for Wildsmith against Bolton Wanderers gifted Vickers his league debut for Derby, playing forty minutes in a 2-1 loss at the Toughsheet Community Stadium back in September. But, the suspension was eventually overturned and Vickers found himself back on the bench for the next fixture against Portsmouth.

He was given game time in cup fixtures, featuring in both the EFL Cup and Trophy, with the Rams reaching the Round of 16 in the latter competition. Yet, it took until January for Vickers to be given a run of league games, after a slip in form for their normally reliable number one.

The Essex-born goalkeeper struggled to match the reliability that Wildsmith had shown throughout the season, conceding three goals in the first two matches of this spell. Derby's usually resolute defence looked shakier than before.

Nevertheless, a superb performance against his former club Lincoln City followed, with a further clean sheet three games later against Charlton Atheltic seemingly easing the pressure on him. However, a thigh injury ended his involvement on the pitch for the rest of the season.

Vickers played seven times in League One last season and had a save percentage of 64.7% compared to Wildsmith's 72.1%. He also produced just 0.47 high claims per 90 against his competitor's 0.81 - struggling to match the numbers of Wildsmith to make himself first choice permanently.

With Derby's promotion to a higher division, Vickers may struggle to find further minutes on the pitch, leading to a potential exit.

Derby need to act fast to find new talent

Although Warne had knowledge of Wildsmith's departure for the last few months, they still need to quickly find adequate replacements, which could see the exit of Vickers, who might not want to watch on from the bench for another season.

It had been reported by Alan Nixon that the Rams were interested in Rotherham's Viktor Johansson, however, Stoke City gained the signature of the Swedish stopper in May, putting an end to any speculation very quickly.

Arthur Okonkwo is now a free agent after his Arsenal contract was not renewed, but it now looks likely that he will return to Wrexham after spending last season on loan with The Red Dragons. Co-owner Rob McElhenney told talkSport that the club and player are in talks over a permanent move to Wales this summer.

Marek Rodak previously spent time with Warne at Rotherham, and is also a free agent after being released by Fulham. Although there have been no reports of Derby's interest so far, the signing of Rodak could be a superb start to the transfer window, and deny Vickers the role of first choice goalkeeper once again.

Alongside potential signings, the Rams have a host of young goalkeepers making their way through the ranks in the academy. Jack Thompson, 17, penned his first professional contract with the club last December, and is quickly moving up the age groups and could break into the senior squad in years to come.

It feels likely Warne will sign more than one goalkeeper this summer and that will put further pressure on Vickers, who has only played three times in the Championship.

A move elsewhere may give him the minutes he truly desires and if the Rams boss succeeds with his summer transfer strategy, it would be no surprise.