Derby County want a striker in the January transfer window, and that’s led them to show an interest in Notts County’s Macaulay Langstaff. With 20 goals already this season, Langstaff is the top scorer in League Two, and Derby are one of a whole host of sides battling it out for his £1.5m signature.
A new number nine at Pride Park may have the opportunity to link up with winger Corey Blackett-Taylor after news emerged on Friday afternoon that the Rams made a bid for the Charlton Athletic man. That offer was rejected, but the player is into the final six months of his contract, which means there’s real pressure to sell this month.
And they aren’t the only ones on the Rams’ January shortlist, with a League Two starlet also turning heads at the club seeking to return to the Championship next season.
Derby rival League One duo for Young
Sky Sports reports that Derby are interested in Jake Young at Bradford City, although they’ve yet to make a formal bid as they have for Blackett-Taylor. Intriguingly, mid-table Charlton are presenting competition, while relegation-threatened Carlisle United are also in for him.
As it stands, Bradford manager Graham Alexander regards Young as part of his plans for the remainder of the season and believes he could inspire a promotion push for a team that are currently down in 14th, seven points off the top seven in League Two.
Young may have edge over Langstaff
Young spent the first half of the season on loan at fellow fourth-tier side Swindon Town, but Alexander opted to recall him in January in light of his magnificent form. It was the previous Bantams boss, Mark Hughes, who had allowed him to leave.
The 22-year-old inspired some instant regret by scoring seven times and setting up three more in the month in August, remarkably notching nine direct goal contributions in the space of two high-scoring games (a 5-5 draw with Wrexham and a 6-0 win over Crawley Town). That form inevitably won him the league’s Player of the Month award, and he repeated that feat in November after netting six times in five matches. Swindon manager Michael Flynn called it an “exceptional” achievement to land the prize twice before Christmas, and said Young is “a joy to work with”.
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Those hot streaks have powered Young to a career-high Transfermarkt valuation (£236k) and a season tally of 16 league goals, ranking him second in the table behind fellow Derby target Langstaff. On a per-90 basis, he leads the league for non-penalty goals (0.74) and total goal contributions (0.92), which could give him a slight edge over the Notts County man in the eyes of Derby’s data department.
Another of Young’s big assets is his versatility. While he’s played every game this season as a centre-forward, he’s also got experience playing on both wings, and that will give Paul Warne a variety of options if he wishes to use them.
While FIFA rules forbid a player from playing for three different clubs in one season, the Englishman hasn’t played for Bradford since he was recalled, and that means Derby’s hopes of unleashing him in League One this season are still alive. Given his irrepressible form in the division below, they’d expect him to handle the step up with aplomb.