Derby County Opinion: Why the Rams should go all out to sign John Souttar

According to the Daily Record, Rangers and Derby County are interested in Hearts defender John Souttar, but the former are favourites to land him in the summer.

This is not the first time that the defender has been linked with a move to Pride Park, with the Rams thought to have been keen on his signature last season. The latest report from the Daily Record suggests John Souttar is valued at around £5 million and is “keen to make the move to England”.

That should rule Rangers out of the competition for his services, with Hearts boss Craig Levein also claiming that his player won’t be moving to the Ibrox from Tynecastle. Based on Levein’s comments, Derby County could have a free run at Souttar when the transfer window re-opens.

Derby are currently sixth on the table, occupying the last play-off spot. But they need to win their remaining games to clinch a place in play-offs after doing so well in Frank Lampard’s first managerial season. The Rams have been perennial chokers in the Championship and Lampard will be confident of erasing that tag.

Whether Derby achieves promotion or not, Lampard will need to strengthen his squad over the summer to take his team to the next level. One area that needs thorough reinforcing is the defence, with a couple of central defenders required at the club.

The Rams did sign free agent Efe Ambrose in February on a short-term deal until the end of the season but he hasn’t played a single game so far.
Curtis Davies and Richard Keogh are coming towards the end of their careers, while Fikayo Tomori will return back to Chelsea after the expiry of his loan at the end of the season.

That clearly tells how desperate are Derby for centre-backs in the summer, as it’s the department they lack depth as well.

To Read More Derby County News, Click Here:- Latest Derby County News

So, Souttar would represent a signing that could be at the heart of the Rams defence for the years to come. With 32 games under his belt this season, he has now played over 100 times for Hearts since joining from Dundee in January 2016. Despite being 22, he has gained massive experience of the Scottish Premiership.

Verdict

The three-cap Scotland international would not only add quality to the Rams’ defence but also depth to the squad. Also, Lampard could offer Souttar Premier League football if Derby win promotion through play-offs. Thus, Derby must do everything in their powers to sign the highly-rated Scotsman in the summer.