2 potential impacts on Derby County if they sign Aston Villa's Louie Barry | OneFootball

The Rams are in the hunt for the 21-year-old, and he is a player that could help define their season.

Derby County's hunt for more firepower for their forward line will be the story of their January transfer window.

While Lars-Jorgen Salvesen does look to be on his way to the Rams in the very near future for a reported £800k from Norwegian club Viking FK, Paul Warne is still extremely keen on Aston Villa's Louie Barry.

The 21-year-old excelled while on loan at Stockport County, spending 18 months at Edgely Park across two spells, helping them to promotion from League Two last season. He is expected to be rewarded for those performances with a new contract with Villa before being loaned out to the Championship and Derby could be his next destination.

Football League World has taken a look at two potential impacts his arrival could make on the Rams if he does join the club this January.

Jerry Yates' minutes become more limited

Jerry Yates joined the East Midlands outfit at the start of the summer on loan from Swansea City, and he has played a crucial role in leading the line for Warne on nearly every single occasion this season.

While he has not been the most prolific striker, his work rate and link-up play have been fantastic, and he has been the key behind several of Derby's wins in 2024/25.

However, with Salvesen soon to come through the door at Pride Park and Barry a top target, his minutes could start to be more limited in the coming weeks and months.

Warne will be able to rotate his strike force for the first time this campaign, and operate with two strikers who will pose a threat in the final third more often. Barry was given a free role for Stockport, and was found coming in from the left with the ball before firing it towards the goal.

Yates needs to be given the opportunity to rest more often, and bringing in two forwards will only help with this. Derby will also benefit from having more competition for places up front, as they battle against relegation.

Kenzo Goudmijn is unlocked in midfield

Kenzo Goudmijn has shown flickers of brilliance since joining the Rams for £600k from AZ Alkmaar in the summer, but he has been restricted by the style of play put upon him at times.

It is clear that he is one of, if not the most, creative players at Derby right now, but more often than not he is played too deep and cannot have as much of an influence on the game as he would like to.

However, with Barry's ability to carry the ball, Goudmijn would benefit greatly from his arrival and the two could form an excellent partnership that connects the attack and midfield more than it already is.

The Dutch midfielder is an incredibly exciting player, but with not too many players on the same wavelength as him on the majority of occasions, he finds it difficult to have an impact on games and can often be very quiet.

Barry will only help him find his creative feet more, and that final touch up front will only increase the goal contributions the number of Goudmijn ends the season with.