Why Derby County should go all out to sign Zain Westbrooke

According to TEAMtalk (h/t Coventry Telegraph), Derby County are one of the Championship clubs interested in signing Coventry City midfielder Zain Westbrooke.

Zain Westbrooke, 23, was a part of the Chelsea academy before leaving in 2011 to join Brentford, but he managed to make just one appearance for the Championship side.

Currently, the midfielder is enjoying impressive form this season, bagging four goals and two assists in 19 games so far. This has caught the attention of Leeds United, Cardiff City, Bristol City, West Brom and Nottingham Forest, with Coventry wanting at least £2million for his services, the report adds. (h/t Coventry Telegraph)

Derby County coach Phillip Cocu. (Getty Images)

The 23-year-old is entering the final few months of his contract at Coventry, and although the club do have the option to extend that deal by a further 12 months, that is something they have yet to do, meaning the midfielder could be free to leave the club for nothing in the summer if no new deal is agreed with.

Derby County, meanwhile, were in poor form for the first half of the Championship season and never really got going, but a solid Christmas period saw them win three games out of three, which included a Premier League scalp as they beat Crystal Palace in the FA Cup.

Wayne Rooney’s arrival at Pride Park has been nothing short of positive, with the former Manchester United star playing an important part in the club’s last two victories.

With the Rams gaining some momentum, manager Phillip Cocu needs to add fresh faces to his squad this month as they look to climb up the table and push for the play-off places.

Shaun McWilliams of Northampton Town attempts to move between Max Biamou and Zain Westbrooke of Coventry City during a Pre-Season Friendly match between Northampton Town and Coventry City at Pinatar Arena on July 12, 2019 in Murcia, Spain. (Getty Images)

Midfield is an area where they will need at least one box-to-box player as the likes of Tom Huddlestone and Krystian Bielik are defensive midfielders.

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Zain Westbrooke could be a smart signing for Derby as he is a player who would fit Cocu’s style of play. The 23-year-old is technically good, a smart passer of the ball and works very hard throughout the game.

Image result for Zain Westbrooke — Zaid Westbrooke could be a great addition for Derby County (Image Courtesy: Google)

He has performed extremely with Coventry this season and looks more than capable of making the step up to Championship football.

Verdict

Derby, during the first half of the season, struggled with a lack of creativity from the middle of the park. A technically sound player like Westbrooke would solve that problem. All in all, he would be a superb signing and is exactly what the Rams need.