The Norwich City midfielder could well add a bit of crunch to Derby County’s midfield.
Norwich City’s Youssouf Mulumbu in action with Wigan Athletic’s Sam Morsy
After losing their grip on a potential play-off place this season, Derby County are likely to already be building plans for next season, and drawing up a list of potential summer signings. Of the many things that haven’t quite clicked for the Rams this season, one problem they’ve had is their lack of a tough-tackling defensive midfielder.
Bradley Johnson has filled this role a lot this season, and at times has done an excellent job. But the former Norwich City man’s distribution has let him down at times, and so the Rams brought in Middlesbrough youngster Julien De Sart on loan. The Belgium midfielder however suffers from the opposite problem; his distribution is excellent, yet he is easily pushed off the ball.
Normally, the defensive midfield position for Derby County would be dominated by George Thorne; a player who can tackle hard and distribute all in one. However, his succession of injuries has caused Thorne to miss the entire season for the Rams, and they’ve missed him. So, with the summer transfer window on the horizon, who could the Rams turn to?
One option could well be Norwich City’s Youssouf Mulumbu. Out of contract at Carrow Road in the summer, Mulumbu is a hard-hitting defensive midfield, who is great at doing the dirty work in front of the back four, allowing the more attacking players in Norwich’s side to go forward.
Norwich City’s Youssouf Mulumbu and Huddersfield Town’s Kasey Palmer in action
Someone with the kind of power and strength that Mulumbu has may well be just the kind of player Derby County need next season. With George Thorne hopefully back for the Rams, Mulumbu could offer decent cover and might just be the kind of heavy-hitting impact player they’ve needed at times this season, when struggling to break teams down.
Would you be happy to see him at Pride Park, Derby County fans? Would Norwich City fans want to see him stay? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
Tottenham’s Christian Eriksen in action with Norwich’s Youssouf Mulumbu
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