Derby County finally announced themselves to the Championship on their return to the second tier versus Bristol City, as Paul Warne’s Rams emphatically put Bristol City to the sword 3-0 last time out.
The only other victory this season Derby had collected in the league was a slender 1-0 win when Warne’s men faced off against Michael Carrick’s tricky Middlesbrough outfit, but this more recent three points in front of the home masses at Pride Park was way more of a breeze.
Derby will hope they can pick up more stylish victories when the international break is over and done with, knowing that Nathaniel Mendez-Laing has a lot more to give the newly promoted outfit.
Mendez-Laing this season so far
The former Cardiff City man was instrumental last season in Derby winning promotion back up to the Championship via the top two, with the experienced head setting League One alight with his sublime performances.
The 32-year-old attacker would amass a ridiculous nine goals and 16 assists in league action, with his importance to the cause only heightened moving up a league, when you consider his previous nous at the tricky level.
He already has two assists next to his name from Derby’s opening four league clashes, but both of those goal contributions came on the opening night away at Blackburn Rovers, with nothing falling his way since.
That isn’t to say Mendez-Laing didn’t bust a gut for his side in the convincing 3-0 success over the Robins, with the skilful Rams number 11 even hitting the woodwork from his bright 74 minutes on the Pride Park turf, but the goals and assists just haven’t been as free flowing as his standout season in League One.
Warne could be tempted to explore the free agent market to try and give Mendez-Laing a new exciting partner down the left, even with recent developments suggesting that the Derby boss would have to ditch a member of his 25-man squad to accommodate a new acquisition.
With Craig Forsyth now 35 years of age and very much in the twilight stages of his career, a new left-back might well be on the former Rotherham United manager’s mind regardless, gifting the Rams another face to compete with Callum Elder who could get even more out of their 32-year-old star-man.
Why Derby should consider Brandon Williams
Brandon Williams could well be the man Derby desire to bolster their numbers in the left-back spot, away from over-relying on their current Australian first-teamer.
The ex-Manchester United youth product is still on the hunt for a new club after being released by the Red Devils this summer, which might well be seen as a surprise when you take into account his memorable loan stint with Ipswich last season.
| Williams’ Championship numbers for Ipswich – 23/24 | |
|---|---|
| Stat (* = per game) | Williams |
| Games played | 15 |
| Games started | 8 |
| Goals scored | 2 |
| Goal conversion | 67% |
| Assists | 0 |
| Touches | 44.5 |
| Accurate passes* | 23.1 (82%) |
| Tackles* | 1.9 |
| Ball recoveries* | 4.5 |
| Total duels won* | 4.7 |
| Stats by Sofascore | |
Williams’ whirlwind spell at Portman Road would see him score two goals from just 15 appearances as a livewire option down the left – which included the outrageous solo strike above versus Preston North End – with his willingness to launch into duels also a major plus, winning 4.7 of them on average per match.
Kieran McKenna, who also had Williams under his wing when he was a coach at Man United before taking on the Tractor Boys job, would describe the 24-year-old’s moment of magic against Preston as “incredible”, whilst also applauding his drive and determination away from the outrageous goal.
He could be utilised as an impact subsitute option, therefore, when teams in the second tier are flagging and Derby want to expose that, with only eight starts handed to him in Suffolk despite McKenna’s glowing words.
Capable of also playing at the right-back spot if needed, Williams’ constant energy and bite could get more out of Mendez-Laing, who will want to continue to see out his playing days in Derbyshire with a bang.
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