Derby was promoted to the Championship, which has put them in a challenging situation.
Paul Warne understands that his team needs to make significant changes in order to compete, but the Rams want to retain the core of the team that helped them advance into the second division.
The fact that 12 of his starting players, including Joe Wildsmith, James Collins, Louie Sibley, and Conor Hourihane, have contracts expiring this summer doesn’t help Warne either.
Given that a number of players awaiting a decision on their future are 30 years of age or older and may not be performing at a level necessary to keep them in the Championship, Derby finds itself in a challenging situation.
Following Birmingham City’s relegation from the second level, despite their impressive 50 points, Warne feels this is the hardest league in years and has to add quality players to his roster in order to compete.
Tom Barkhuizen’s contract should be renewed by the club despite Derby scoring the joint-fewest goals of any team that finished in the top six. His focus will be on offence.
Why Tom Barkhuizen has to be awarded a new contract by Derby County
Teams in the English Football League (EFL) have until Saturday, May 18, to notify players of their status as club members.
One person who is in this situation is Barkhuizen, whose contract expires in June. Arriving from Preston North End in the summer of 2022, the 30-year-old was instrumental in Derby’s return to the Championship.
In other games, Warne’s team benefited from Barkhuizen’s adaptability in attacking positions, which included his ability to play on the flank or as one of two attackers.
When the Derby manager was able to use him off the bench in late games, he would almost always make an impact. He ended up scoring three goals and providing two assists, establishing himself as a potent super sub.
The Rams forward, who was once dubbed “super” for his intense and fast-paced performances, finished League One with six goals and six assists.
Barkhuizen, who previously made 220 appearances for Preston and Blackpool, is now prepared to move up to the second division.
Derby County yearns for a championship encounter.
The hardest thing for Warne to do this summer is find guys who can still play at a good level after playing a lot of Championship games.
Based on his amount of appearances, Barkhuizen is one of the club’s current players with a wealth of experience in the second division.
He currently boasts at this level of expertise with such luminaries as Collins, Hourihane, and Nathaniel Mendez-Laing.
In addition to Barkhuizen, Hourihane and Collins are also without contracts, therefore the Rams need to think about offering them new deals.
Even though Warne is eager to add more youthful, athletic players to his team, it is essential to provide new contracts to some of Derby’s seasoned players since they are the ones who have experience and know what it takes to succeed.
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