3/1 To Win
Phillip Cocu says he is ‘very pleased’ that Derby County have managed to secure the services of full-back Nathan Byrne - and he remains keen to add further numbers to his squad.
Byrne, 28, has joined the Rams on a two-year deal from Wigan Athletic after an undisclosed fee was agreed for his services.
The right-back joins Derby as a replacement for youngster Jayden Bogle, who sealed a move to Premier League side Sheffield United earlier this week alongside fellow team-mate and Academy graduate Max Lowe.
Cocu believes Byrne’s qualities will suit Derby’s style of play and feels his attacking intent will provide the Rams with more power when going forward.
The defender registered eight assists for Wigan last season, an impressive number for a right-back, while the Derby boss also feels his experience will be a welcome addition to the dressing room.
“I am very pleased,” Cocu said when reacting to Byrne’s signing in an interview with RamsTV.
“We worked quite a bit on getting him in because we knew there was a lot of interest in Jayden Bogle so we had to be prepared that when he made his step to the Premier League, we didn’t need a lot of time to get the player we wanted in. That player was Nathan Byrne.
“Nathan is an offensive-minded right full back. He has played a lot of games, so he is quite experienced and is the type of player we need. He adds age to the young squad we have and a little bit more experience, which is more than welcome.
“Andre Wisdom is more of a controlled right full-back and Nathan will give us more forward power, so we are very pleased he is part of the squad.”
He added: “Nathan’s stats are very good; we use quite a bit of data to try to find the type of player we are looking for in a certain position. He came up, so we are happy to have him.
“The way we play, the full-back position is very important in our team. It gives us more variation to go forward and a constant threat by offensive moves by the full-back. That is one of his strong assets, but also defensively he does his job well.”
Cocu remains keen to strengthen his squad before the transfer window concludes in October.
He has already added goalkeeper David Marshall and defenders Mike te Wierik, Matt Clarke and Byrne to his ranks, but is also focussed on adding to the Rams’ attacking options.
Cocu believes the Rams are making good progress when it comes to strengthening that particular area of the squad and explained: “Like I said last week, we work every day to try and strengthen the team in the forward positions.
“Of course, we have some players already, but I think we need enough numbers to go into a busy season.
“We are working hard and in the next few days we hope to announce the first one, then we will probably need a little bit more time for the next to join us.
“It is always a little bit hard in football to know how long it will take, but I think with one we are pretty close.”
Bogle and Lowe’s respective departures will see them step up to the Premier League for the first time in their careers.
Cocu says the club should be proud that two Academy graduates are gracing the highest level of English football and admits it would have been difficult to deny them the opportunity to test themselves as a higher level.
The 49-year-old said: “To make the step up to a Premier League club, for a player, is something big. We must be proud if we can deliver players to a higher level, which is the case now for Jayden Bogle and Max Lowe.
“Both players have been around quite some time, Max even longer in the Academy and Under-23s, and it is time to step up and the right moment for him.
“For Jayden, maybe a little bit soon after two years, maybe one more year would be even better, but there was interest in him. He has great potential and we would not want to block the possibility for him to make that step.
“Also, as a club, we needed resources to reinforce the team in different positions. That is why, in the end, it happened.”
Cocu added: on the undisclosed deal itself for the duo: “We always try to find the best deal for the club. The environment we are in now, not only for us but for a lot of teams, it is a challenge.
“If you deliver two players from your Academy to a Premier League club, it is something positive. Sometimes you have to make a decision for the benefit of the club and that is why we made that decision for those two players.”
