Why John Eustace wants Derby County reunion with Liverpool's Owen Beck - there are 3 clear reasons | OneFootball

We looked at three reasons why Derby County head coach John Eustace is keen to reunite with Liverpool defender Owen Beck at Pride Park.

Derby County are yet to make a new signing this summer, but they are reportedly keen to sign Liverpool defender Owen Beck on loan.

Derby were dragged into relegation danger last season after a serious decline in form towards the end of Paul Warne's tenure, but John Eustace successfully managed to keep the club in the division after making a surprise move to Pride Park from play-off hopefuls Blackburn Rovers in February, with his side eventually finishing in 19th place.

As his summer rebuild begins, Eustace has released a host of senior players at the end of their contracts, including the likes of Sonny Bradley, Jeff Hendrick, Tom Barkhuizen and Conor Washington, while Nathaniel Mendez-Laing has departed for League Two side MK Dons, but the Rams are yet to bring in any new additions.

However, that could be set to change as, according to Football Insider, Derby are plotting a loan move for Liverpool defender Beck, who worked with Eustace during his temporary spell at Blackburn last season.

Beck, who has also spent time out on loan with Bolton Wanderers and Dundee in recent years, scored one goal in 25 games for Rovers last term, and having missed much of the season half of the season with injury, all but one of those appearances came under Eustace.

As the Rams look to secure a loan deal for Beck, we looked at three clear reasons why Eustace is hoping to reunite with the 22-year-old.

Blackburn Rovers connection

Having been linked with a number of his former players this summer, it is clear Eustace is keen to bring some of those he knows and trusts to Derby.

The Rams have reportedly agreed deals to sign Blackburn defender Danny Batth and forward Andreas Weimann, and as exclusively revealed by FLW earlier this month, they have also set their sights on midfielder Lewis Travis as Eustace looks to team-up with three of his Ewood Park favourites again.

However, it seems it is not only his ex-Rovers players that Eustace is looking to reunite with this summer, as it has also been claimed that Derby are interested in defenders Cody Drameh and Dion Sanderson, who both worked with the 45-year-old at Birmingham City.

With that in mind, it is no surprise to see that Eustace is targeting another of his former players in Beck, and given that the Welshman played a key role in Blackburn's play-off push in the first half of last season, he could prove to be an excellent addition for the Rams.

A younger option to rival Callum Elder and Craig Forsyth

Derby's defensive experience served them well towards the end of last season as they kept a number of crucial clean sheets on the way to securing Championship survival.

However, the Rams do have a relatively old defence, and that was exposed at times last season, so many supporters are keen to see a few younger options brought in this summer.

Callum Elder was Derby's first-choice left-back last term, but he is now 30 years of age, and Craig Forsyth, who often filled in for him when he was injured, is 36 years of age, so the arrival of 22-year-old Beck would certainly help to lower the average age of the defence.

Not only would Beck add some much-needed freshness to the Rams' defensive unit, but Eustace could potentially use his energy and pace to help improve his side's attacking output, particularly if he sticks with the wing-back system he deployed last season.

Strengthening Liverpool links

It is no secret that Derby owner David Clowes is looking for new investment, with The Telegraph claiming in September that he could be willing to sell up to 80% of his stake in the club.

Clowes did provide Warne with strong backing in the January transfer window, but it may be tough for him to deliver that level of investment consistently moving forward, so the Rams will need to make strong use of the loan market again this summer to make up for their financial limitations.

Pride Park is fast becoming known as a good destination for clubs to send their talented youngsters, with the likes of David Ozoh and Harrison Armstrong thriving during their temporary spells in the East Midlands last season, and while he is more of a senior player, defender Nat Phillips also spent the campaign on loan at Derby from Liverpool.

With Eustace at the helm, the Reds can be confident that Beck will be in safe hands if he joins the Rams next season, and further strengthening their connections with the Premier League champions can only be a positive for the club.