Championship playoff-hopefuls Derby County have joined the race to sign Wigan Athletic playmaker Nick Powell on a free transfer at the end of the season, according to latest reports from TEAMtalk.
If the Rams are to land the highly-rated former Man United star, they would need to fend off interest from Scottish Premiership giants Celtic and Rangers, while Championship high-flyers Norwich City have also been credited with an interest in the 25-year-old.
TEAMtalk also understands that Frank Lampard’s side are looking at Powell as a potential replacement for Mason Mount, who has been a hugely influential figure for the Rams in the Championship this season.
The Chelsea loanee has been a key presence on the left of Derby’s midfield three and has contributed with a total of 8 goals and 3 assists from 30 league appearances.
The 20-year-old scored a hat-trick in Derby’s most recent 4-0 victory over Bolton Wanderers, as the Rams kept their hopes of making a return to the Premier League for the first time since 2007-08 alive.
Meanwhile, Powell has enjoyed another successful season at Wigan Athletic and has been one of the few shining lights in what has been another relegation-threatened campaign for Paul Cook’s side.
The 25-year-old has chipped in with 7 goals and 6 assists from 28 league appearances to keep the Latics just above the drop zone, having played a pivotal role in their promotion-winning League One campaign a couple of years back.
To put things into perspective, the acquisition of Nick Powell for free in the summer would be an absolute steal for the Rams. A proven source of goals and assists in the Championship, Powell also has considerable experience of playing in the Premier League, with Man United and Leicester City, something that should appeal to a club of Derby’s stature.
It would be unfair to look at Powell as a like-for-like replacement for Mount as he won’t bring that sort of energy to the midfield. As opposed to Mount, who covers a lot of ground and contributes a lot with his work-rate off the ball, Powell is more of a conventional and elegant No. 10, who relies primarily on his vision and creativity to create chances in the final third.
Nevertheless, getting a player of his calibre on board would help Derby improve massively, irrespective of where they make it to the Premier League or stay in the Championship.
Powell not only has the ability to create openings in the attacking third, with his flair and trickery on the ball, but he is equally adept at breaking the opposition’s lines with some breathtaking through balls. To add to that, he makes those late runs into the box and gets his name on the scoresheet on a regular basis.
Derby would have to do really well to convince him to move to Pride Park. Powell would be their best bet of landing a replacement for Mount, as they don’t have the financial resources to strike a permanent deal for the Chelsea loanee.
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