Derby County are hoping that Karlan Grant’s expected move to West Bromwich Albion opens the door for them to sign Charlie Austin.  

It’s been a slow burner for Phillip Cocu at times over the summer transfer window, with Derby looking short of striking options and having to lean on Wayne Rooney in the role.

As per the Derby Telegraph, the Rams are waiting on deals elsewhere to open the door for them in their pursuit of Austin.

Quiz: Do Nottingham Forest and Derby County have these 10 things in common?

The striker is down the pecking order at the Hawthorns, with Slaven Bilic chasing a deal to sign Karlan Grant from Huddersfield Town in the remaining week of the transfer window.

That will push Austin further down the pecking order at West Brom and could open the door for the striker to be on the move before next Friday’s deadline.

The 31-year-old bagged 10 goals and registered two assists for the Baggies last season in the Championship, helping Bilic’s side over the line in the race for promotion.

However, in the Premier League, it’s been tough for Austin to get games. He’s yet to feature in the league, with his only outings coming in the EFL Cup, which is a competition that West Brom are now out of.

The Verdict  

This is something that we will see up and down the country in the next week.

West Brom, naturally, won’t let Austin go until they’ve got Grant through the door and Derby are going to have to remain patient as they pursue the 31-year-old.

One thing about Austin is that he’s very experienced and knows the Championship well.

Derby are short of options and their most influential midfielder player (Rooney) is playing in a position that he’s not as comfortable in as he was five or six years ago.

Austin arriving means he can drop deeper again and help Derby have a lot more control of their game.

Thoughts? Let us know!