Derby County Opinion: Rams should beat Rangers to sign Zander Clark
According to the Derbyshire Live, Derby County are set to rival Scottish giants Rangers for the signing of St.Johnstone shot-stopper Zander Clark in the summer transfer window.
Clark has been in fine form for St.Johnstone in the Scottish Premiership this season and has attracted interest with his consistent run of form between the sticks, managing 13 clean sheets from 29 appearances in the league. In all competitions comprised, the 26-year-old has kept a total of 18 clean sheets from 40 appearances for the Saints.
The Scotsman started his youth career at Hamilton Academical before joining St.Johnstone’s youth system in 2008 and had loan stints at Scottish third-tier club Elgin City and Scottish Championship outfit Queen of the south FC earlier in his career.
As a result of his impressive performances on his loan spells in the lower divisions of the Scottish football system, Clark was recalled by St.Johnstone in 2015 and made his first-team debut as a substitute against Dundee United in the 2015-16 season. The 26-year-old has established himself as the club’s No.1 between the sticks in due course of time and has even put himself on the verge of a call-up to Scotland’s senior international squad, owing to his impressive performances in goal.
Clark has made a total of 95 appearances for the Saints in all competitions so far, managing an impressive 34 clean sheets, a feat which is worthy of credit given that St.Johnstone have largely registered mid-table finishes during that period. The 26-year-old is contracted to his current club until the summer of 2020 but he might as well complete a move elsewhere this summer, with Frank Lampard’s Derby County and Steven Gerrard’s Rangers weighing up moves for the shot-stopper.
To put things into perspective, Derby County would bag a massive coup if they manage to beat off competition for the St. Johnstone keeper in the summer transfer window. The Rams have made it to the Championship playoffs with a 3-1 victory over West Brom in their final game and they will now battle it out with Leeds United in the semi-finals, as the fans at Pride Park remain hopeful of welcoming back Premier League football for the first time since 2007-08.
Former England international Scott Carson was the No.1 for Derby earlier in the season but he has now been replaced by Dutchman Kelle Roos, who has started 19 of the last 22 games for the Rams. Roos has done a good enough job but the Rams are likely to lose the services of Carson come the end of the season, with the Derbyshire Live reporting that the veteran has been linked with a move to Blackburn Rovers, who are also interested in Burnley stopper Joe Hart.
Derby would need more competition for places in all areas of their squad irrespective of where they play their football next season. Carson’s potential departure would leave a massive void in the goalkeeping ranks at Pride Park and signing Zander Clark might be a decent option.
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The 6ft. 3 inches shot-stopper has carved out a reputation for himself in the Scottish Premiership for a mid-table side like St.Johnstone and there is every chance that he might challenge Kelle Roos for the No.1 role at Pride Park.
That said, the Rams should look to beat Rangers and aim to have the final say in this transfer battle.
