Derby County opinion: Should Derby sign Christian Walton?

According to a report from English newspaper Ripley and Heanor, Derby County are set to battle it out for Brighton and Hove Albion’s Christian Walton. The 23-year-old is currently on loan at another Championship side Wigan Athletic and has impressed with his performances this season.

Derby have had a poor run of games recently, which has made their attempt to make it to the playoffs more difficult than it already was.

The Rams have won just one of their last 5 games and are currently 8^th in the table.

Irrespective of where they finish at the end of the season. Derby needs to address the situation of their squad. One area where they need to bring in a player is in between the sticks.

Scott Carson, despite starting the season as the club’s first-choice, has forced Frank Lampard to drop him to the bench after a poor run of games.

Dutch goalkeeper Kelle Roos has impressed in his 10 games so far and is deservedly ahead of Carson in the pecking order. However, Derby do not have another keeper in their ranks and with Carson turning 34 at the start of next season, they should make a move for one in the summer.

Signing Christian Walton would be a very smart move by Frank Lampard and the youngster has been impressive in the Championship so far this campaign.

Walton’s chances of getting into Brighton’s first-team any time soon is incredibly slim, with Matthew Ryan, Jason Steele and David Button all ahead of him in the pecking order.

A move to Derby would be ideal for the youngster, especially with Kelly Roos’ contract with the Rams expiring in the summer.

A chance to potentially have a starting role at a club of Derby County’s stature would be huge for the 23-year-old and the opportunity to learn from a legend like Frank Lampard will be invaluable.

Walton has been a shining light in a disappointing campaign for Wigan this season. The Brighton shot-stopper has played 30 games for the Championship outfit and has kept 7 clean sheets so far.

Standing at 6ft 4in, Walton has all the characteristics in him to be a top goalkeeper but the youngster needs to make the step to a bigger team to continue his development.

His movement off the line is surprisingly quick and despite his height, Walton is incredibly agile.

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Conclusion

Derby could not go wrong in signing Christian Walton and the club will benefit massively with his presence in goal. The youngster would be a brilliant replacement for Kelly Roos if he leaves in the summer and Derby should give him the opportunity to fulfil his massive potential next season.