Even though Derby County and Nottingham Forest are fierce rivals, doing business with one another during the transfer window is not impossible.
This was demonstrated as recently as this summer when Tyrese Fornah, a midfielder, left the City Ground to sign a contract with The Rams for an undisclosed sum.
Since then, the 24-year-old has established himself as a valuable member of Paul Warne’s team, making 13 appearances for Derby across all competitions.
In the most recent round of World Cup qualifying matches, Fornah made his debut for Sierra Leone as a senior international thanks to his performance.
However, it appears that Derby should take into consideration adding a second Nottingham Forest player when the transfer window reopens in January.
Which player from Nottingham Forest should Derby County try to sign in January?
Journalist Alan Nixon has reported that during Forest’s recent EFL Trophy victories over League Two team Accrington Stanley, up to fifteen clubs witnessed the Under 21 team play.
Many players from the Premier League team’s academy may be going out on loan during the January transfer window, according to speculation.
Julian Larsson, a striker from Sweden, is among those who have been mentioned as having the potential to play elsewhere in the second half of this season.
To be fair, the names of those fifteen clubs keeping an eye on Forest’s young players’ performance have not yet been made public.
However, it seems possible to argue that Derby is one team that ought to be thinking about making a move in the January window, especially in regards to Larsson.
Why is Julian Larsson the player Derby should be pursuing in the January transfer window?
Derby County is hoping to return from League One to the Championship, and they have had a strong start to the season.
As things stand, Paul Warne’s team is six points outside of an automatic promotion spot in the third-tier table, but they are still in the running to move up.
That being said, there have been some problems at centre forward. Although Martyn Waghorn, Conor Washington, and James Collins have all scored some valuable goals so far this season, they are all target men in the same mould and are all older than 30, so there may be concerns about their durability for the duration of the campaign.
Tyreese John-Jules, meanwhile, has only made a few appearances since joining on loan from Arsenal in the summer. Warne recently acknowledged he is currently unsure whether Tyreese John-Jules’ contract will be extended until the end of the current campaign. The deal is set to expire in January.
Therefore, in the January transfer window, Derby might need to bolster their center-forward depth, and Larsson might be a good choice to do so.
In 52 games for Forest’s Under 21 and Under 23 teams, the 22-year-old has already scored 19 goals. Among those goals was one in the team’s most recent EFL Trophy victory over Accrington Stanley’s first squad.
As a result, Larsson might be prepared to advance to senior football on a more frequent basis at this point in his career. He would undoubtedly provide Warne’s Derby team with an alternative to the bulk of their current center-forward options.
Nevertheless, his track record does indicate that he could still have a good effect in front of goal for the Rams, which could help them advance in their quest for a promotion.
In fact, Larsson is clearly at a point in his career where, at 22, he needs to be gaining regular first-team football experience in order to advance.
When Forest’s own attacking options may need to be strengthened later on, a loan move like this to Derby would guarantee he gets those opportunities and put him in a stronger position to contribute.
Therefore, moving to Pride Park for Larsson might be advantageous for all parties in the short- and long-term.
In light of this, it appears that another business deal between Forest and Derby, two of the biggest rivals in English football, may still make sense in January.
