LATEST NEWS;Derby County closing in on striker signing for under-21s

Derby County are closing in on the signing of former Rangers striker Tony Weston for the club’s under-21s.

Weston has impressed on trial which has now led to a deal being agreed and once the formalities have been completed he will follow his ex-Ibrox team-mate Charlie Lindsay to Pride Park.

The pair’s arrival forms part of Derby’s long-term plan to replenish its academy which has retained category one status following a recent Premier League audit.

Weston left Rangers at the end of last season having spent three years north of the border after sealing a move from Blackpool for a fee believed to be around £250,000.

The 19-year-old made his debut for Rangers in May 2022 when he came on as a substitute in a 3-1 win over Hearts. It was his only first team appearance at the Scottish Premier League club.

After impressing for Rangers’ B team, last season Weston spent time out on loan at Cove Rangers and Partick Thistle. But he left Ibrox at the end of the season and Derby wasted no time in offering him a trial.

He is now set to join playmaker and Northern Ireland under-21s international Lindsay who spent two weeks on trial at Derby having been one of nine young players to leave Rangers.

Lindsay had interest from three Championship clubs in Huddersfield, Hull and Blackburn, but Derby had a head start having tracked him for a while.

Derby’s academy has undergone changes this summer with Darren Wassall departing as academy director while Pat Lyons resigned from his role as coach.

Matt Hale has arrived from Southampton as the academy manager following a successful 10 years with the Championship side. Bradley Johnson has also returned to the club and will undertake a player/coach role with the under-21s this season

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Derby County icon Jake Buxton has been appointed as the new Lead Under-21 Coach for the Rams with immediate effect.

The former Derby centre-back had previously been leading the club’s Under-18s and began excelling in his role as the season progressed, finishing the campaign with an impressive victory over Under-18s Premier League champions Manchester City.

Academy Manager Matt Hale was full of praise for the 38-year-old as he explained and applauded the Rams’ decision to promote Buxton to his new role with the Under-21s.

“We carried out an extensive process to find the right candidate who will not only be an outstanding coach but also an outstanding person and cultural fit,” said Hale.

“I am delighted that Jake has been appointed as our Lead Under-21 Coach with immediate effect. We ran a highly professional process as you would expect and the numerous candidates we interviewed were all of a really strong calibre and very experienced within the Professional Development Phase.

“Jake has so much experience and knowledge of the professional game as well as the Derby County culture. Throughout the interview process he brought to life his vision for the Under-21s programme which was extremely impressive.

“His infectious personality combined with his professional etiquette made him the stand-out candidate and has quite rightly earnt the opportunity to take this role and be tasked with leading our Under-21 group.”

Buxton, or ‘Bucko’ to Rams fans, is a very popular figure amongst the Derby faithful who will no doubt be delighted to see his progression throughout the club’s academy set-up.

He spent seven years playing for Derby between 2009 and 2016, firmly establishing himself as a fan favourite over 159 appearances for the club in which he scored 13 goals.

Transferring from player to coach, the former pro had a brief stint as manager of Burton Albion during the 2021/22 season before returning to the Rams to take up an academy role.

Could we potentially see Buxton as part of the first team coaching staff in the future?