The 2023/24 campaign gets underway this weekend and the excitement, as ever, is ramping up with the EFL season set to begin on Friday evening as Southampton, of the Premier League last season, go to newly-promoted Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship.
There are 72 clubs with their own hopes and aspirations of creating some history over the next nine or so months and, as a result, we, at Playmaker Stats, are running through every club with a preview and a prediction... which you cannot hold us to!
Manager: Paul Warne
Last season: 7th in League One
Transfers: see here.
Paul Warne’s side were so close to securing a spot in the play-offs last season but suffered a costly defeat on the final day of the season to Sheffield Wednesday.
The manager now has to do a small rebuild of his squad considering the high-profile departures of midfielder Jason Knight and striker David McGoldrick. Whether new arrival Conor Washington from Rotherham United can manage to help fill the void of the 22 goals McGoldrick (now of Notts County) scored last season remains to be seen.
Warne proved to be a pragmatic manager within Derby’s constraints last season, despite using the fewest players out of every team in League One (just 22 in total), the Rams had the fourth-best defence (46 goals conceded) and proved how threatening they are from wide areas with the most crosses of any team (1,038).
So can Derby County challenge for the top six again? Maybe, the manager himself has admitted he wants to bring a few more bodies into the club including another striker, a number 10, and another wing-back which makes you think he’s not quite happy with his squad.
It might be another close call for Derby next year...
