With the dust having now settled from what was a rollercoaster of a season for Derby County, manager Wayne Rooney will be hoping to guide the club into a new dawn during the 2021/22 campaign.
However, in order to have any chance of achieving a relative amount of success in the Championship later this year, it is imperative that the 35-year-old gets his recruitment spot on this summer.
Whereas the Rams are currently unable to purchase players due to the nature of their transfer embargo, they could look towards the free-agent market for inspiration this summer whilst loan moves may also be on the cards.
Although Derby will need to strengthen their options in a number of different areas, they may have to prioritise addressing the centre-back position in the coming weeks due to the fact that they are no longer able to call upon the services of Teden Mengi and Matt Clarke.
One of the players who is seemingly on the Rams' radar is George Edmundson who spent the second-half of the previous campaign on loan at Pride Park.
[gmsStartingEleven url="https://givemesport.starting11.co.uk/2019-11-14/"]
With there being no guarantee that the 23-year-old will be able to force his way into Rangers' starting eleven next season, it will be intriguing to see whether he decides to call time on his spell at Ibrox.
According to the Daily Record, Derby are reportedly interested in securing a reunion with Edmundson but are currently facing a stumbling block when it comes to a potential deal.
It is understood that the Rams do not have the financial capabilities to sign the defender on a permanent deal and thus they may have to push for a temporary move if they are indeed looking to secure his services.
Meanwhile, Rangers manager Steven Gerrard is keen to cast an eye over Edmundson this summer as he considers the possibility of giving the defender the opportunity to impress at senior level next season.
Derby could face competition from Peterborough United for Edmundson as Darren Ferguson's side recently had a bid rejected by Rangers.
GIVEMESPORT's Joshua Cole says...
Whilst it is hardly a shock that Derby cannot afford to purchase Edmundson given that they are still looking to find a new owner, they could try to convince Rangers to commit to a loan deal if he is indeed one of their main targets.
However, when you consider that the defender struggled for consistency at times in the Championship last season, the Rams ought to think twice before committing to a move.
During the 10 league appearances that Edmundson made for Derby, the club only managed to keep two clean-sheets as he averaged a WhoScored match rating of 6.62.
Instead of taking a risk on a player who has only shown glimpses of his talent at this level, the Rams should instead look to seal a move for a centre-back who knows exactly what it takes to succeed in this division.
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