Rangers are challenging Derby County for exciting Hearts full-back Callum Paterson – but Pride Park should be an attractive destination this summer.
With Gary Rowett the anointed bastion of young English coaches, it appeared whichever club was able to secure his signature could look forward to a bright future.
And he appears the perfect fit for Derby County. The perennial underachievers appointed a manager who specialises in making teams more than the sum of their parts. And Rowett hardly wilted when asked about his ambitions at Pride Park, TalkSPORT reports.
“When you walk into the training ground and see the facilities and know there’s going to be 30,000 fans here every week, regardless of performance, I genuinely believe it’s set up to be a top-10 Premier League club,” Rowett told TalkSPORT earlier this month.
“Getting the team to get [to the Premier League] and staying there are the main challenges I have been tasked with.”
Derby have spent the last four seasons suffering almost permanent heart-break, losing twice in the play-offs in their bid to reach the Promised Land. However, with the right manager at the helm, it appears that next season could be Derby’s season.
Pride of Derby
Therefore, you wonder whether this brazen ambition will make Pride Park an attractive destination to potential targets this summer. The prospect of Premier League football will surely give Callum Paterson sleepless nights as he prepares to make a decision on his future.
The Derby Telegraph reported that The Rams were keen on the highly-rated Hearts right-back prior to a cruciate ligament injury suffered in December. However, with his contract expiring in the summer, the injury is unlikely to put off clubs with their eyes on a bargain.
The Daily Record reports that Scottish giants Rangers are the latest club to express their interest. However, with Pedro Caixinha’s side seemingly light-years away from challenging Celtic’s domestic hegemony, it appears that Paterson could achieve far more at Pride Park than Ibrox.
The prospect of signing for a club with genuine ambitions of reaching the Premier League may appear more than fighting Aberdeen for second in Scotland.
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