Derby County boss Paul Warne could find his next Conor Hourihane with a free swoop for this soon-to-be free agent midfielder.
Derby County are returning to the Championship after a two-year hiatus, during which a lot has changed at the club.
The Rams have new owners and a new outlook for the future, with some seriously impressive players of young and old in the first-team.
Returning to the Championship though, Warne will know that his side will be right up against it next year, so improvements are needed within the side this summer.
And one possible gap in the side will be in midfield with Conor Hourihane out of contract, as well as Korey Smith and Liam Thompson.
Derby County must swoop for George Byers at Sheffield Wednesday
One possible option for the Rams would be George Byers at Sheffield Wednesday, who’s now set to become a free agent this summer.
His imminent Wednesday exit has recently been confirmed, with suggestions that he has plenty of interest in the English Football League and from some of the Owls’ Championship rivals.
That may well indicate at interest from Derby County who’ll be competing with Sheffield Wednesday next season.
Byers, 27, is a fan favourite at Sheffield Wednesday, with his performances in their 2022/23 promotion-winning season being particularly impressive.
He scored six and assisted three more in 24 League One appearances that season. But he was surprisingly shipped out on loan to Blackpool in January, featuring 16 times in League One, with one assist but plenty of praise in certain performances.
What would George Byers bring to Derby County
Byers is energetic. He’s a real box-to-box midfielder who can do the dirty work as well as the fancy stuff.
With Wednesday in League One, Byers recorded 1.1 shots per game and 0.7 key passes, whilst also leading the way for tackles per game, averaging 2.8 in every game (stats from Sofascore).
So he’s certainly a midfielder who can provide steel, but also that bit of attacking flair too; if he’s played in the correct way.
Danny Rohl at Sheffield Wednesday seemed like he couldn’t really figure out which way to best utilise Byers’ strengths.
Though as an all-round midfielder, Byers is best when playing as one of three central midfielders where he can get up and down without exposing his fellow midfielders.
So for Derby in either a 3-5-2 or a 4-3-3, Byers could be very useful, and given his experience in the Championship, he could be an upgrade on Hourihane who’s had mixed reviews in the past few seasons, albeit with good numbers.
Derby would need to act fast though, with several Football League teams already linked with Byers.
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