Derby County led twice on New Year’s Day but have yet to capitalize on their clash with Peterborough United.
The Rams took the lead in the first minute through James Collins, only for Kwame Poku and Ricky Jade-Jones to score late and secure all 3 problems for the visitors from Pride Park.
The East Midlands club will be back in Ligue 1 action on Saturday, but EFL minds across the country will also be busy in the January transfer window.
Sunderland, but it came at a terrible time for him.
Ovie Ejaria, recently released through Reading, may just be Derthrough throwing in the bucket, especially given the state of Embleton.
Ejaria impressed during his Reading tenure, even playing some of his best football as a Royal.
He arrived at the Madejski in 2020, this being his first permanent transfer away from Anfield after three previous loans.
During his time at Reading, the 26-year-old made 127 appearances, contributing nine goals and thirteen assists. His most prolific seasons came in the Championship, with three goals and five assists in 2019/20 and 2020/21.
Ejaria hit a downward curve at the same time that the club did and he managed only 422 minutes in the league last season. On top of that, he failed to make a single appearance in League One before being released.
The club’s website explains the following reasoning to justify the decision: “Ebaria’s contract will expire at the end of the current season.
“However, due to injuries and physical issues restricting first-team activity in the past and the club’s preference to cut costs, an out-of-court settlement has been reached for Ovie to leave the club early. “
Any potential suitors will suffer from the aforementioned disorders here at Reading, two separate groin injuries that plagued him in the 2021/22 campaign alone.
That said, in his day, Ejaria has proven to have a prime talent – whether as a youngster at Liverpool or when he played for Rangers and Reading more recently – and he is still only 26 years old, the club that can help him fulfil his tenure once a top-tier prospect will be hugely rewarded.
His artistic acumen would be a huge asset to a top-flight League One team like Derby and Paul Warne and company. They should take this calculated risk.
It’s not like the Rams are struggling in the attacking third, with Conor Hourihane and Tom Barkhuizen each providing five assists so far, just former Cardiff City player Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, who has seven to his name.
That forged foundation they already have makes a move for Ejaria less risky, as he will have time to acclimatise and Derby is not a cash-strapped club.
One thing that pleases Ejaria is the ambition of the Derby. It’s a big 3rd division club and he’s pushing to get back into the league at the moment, which is probably a task he’d dedicate himself to.
As previously mentioned, Warne has several creative talents at his disposal, and the same goes for the number of players who are perfectly capable of putting the ball in the back of the net.
In addition to being leaders in assists, the aforementioned trio is also the most sensible on their team’s scoring chart.
Also in the mix are James Collins and Martyn Waghorn on 10 and six respectively, both of whom have plied their trade in Scotland as well as playing for a number of different EFL sides.
This attacking prowess has pushed Derby to fourth thus far in the third-tier with the recent game against Peterborough United representing a missed opportunity to move up a position.
It has to be said that this department is incredibly strong and that Warne’s team is an important component of the dominant cohort.
Promotion is the goal of many of those groups and the addition of Ejaria in this midfield can make all the difference at Pride Park with games happening quickly.
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