Derby County are reportedly interested in taking Chelsea youngster Tariq Uwakwe on loan fro the rest of the season. 

The Rams benefitted greatly from bringing some of the Blues academy stars in on loan last season, with Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori playing key roles in their play-off run, and it appears they're hoping the addition of Uwakwe could have similar success.

According to The Sun, Derby are keen to sign the 20-year-old midfielder on loan until the end of the 2019/20 campaign.

With ex-Rams boss Frank Lampard now in charge at Stamford Bridge and on the back of last season's success loans, you'd imagine both clubs would see the benefit of the move.

Uwakwe signed a three-year deal with Chelsea in the summer and is tipped to be another exciting young prospect.

But would the 20-year-old be a good signing, do the Rams need him, and will he start?

Our FLW writers discuss...

Luke Phelps

"Derby have made some quality loan signings in the last couple of seasons and I really think this could be another one of them. Mount and Wilson were immense last year and whilst Uwakwe is a different type of midfielder to these two, he still has a lot of potential and a lot to offer.

“It’s always a risk though taking in a player who’s not got any first-team experience. He’s a prominent figure for the Chelsea U23 side and that alone should be enough for Phillip Cocu to go off–Chelsea have one of the best academies in the world and to be a starter for their development side is a footballing achievement in itself.

"Whether he’s ‘needed’ is another question–teams in the Football League are always in ‘need’ of players because it’s such a long and demanding campaign, so in that sense–yes, he is needed by Derby.

"But is he needed in the sense that Derby don’t have many numbers in midfield? Not really–they’ve just added Wayne Rooney to their ranks, and have the likes of Tom Huddlestone too.

“Game-time for Uwakwe might not be what he’s hoping for, he certainly won’t be playing a role like Mount or Wilson did last year. Nevertheless, it’d be a great experience for Uwakwe–he could learn from England’s all-time top-scorer whilst there and get some valid first-team experience before he returns to London."

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Jacob Potter

"This is a risky move, but if it pays off, then it could be one of the signings of the season.

"Uwakwe is a player with a bright future ahead of him, and Chelsea clearly recognise that.

“The Blues tied him down to a new three-year deal last summer, which shows that they’ve got high hopes for the youngster in the future.

“Derby clearly have a good relationship with Chelsea after the loans that came their way last season from the Blues and Uwakwe will be hoping that he is the next player to be a success with the Rams.

“If he can have as much success as Mount and Tomori did, then we could see Derby rising up the Championship table in the second half of this year’s campaign.

“If they can offer him regular minutes, then I think this is a good move for all parties.”

Ethan van Ristell 

"The 20-year-old is another Chelsea youngster that could be on the way to Pride Park on loan, and there is potential for the central midfielder to show what he is capable of with the Rams.

"It would be his first foray into senior football, which is a risk for Cocu. Nevertheless, we saw how well Tomori and Mount progressed at the club last season, so there is always a chance that it could happen again with Uwakwe.

"Derby need to strengthen this window to help them push on in the second half of the campaign and this signing will add competition for places in the middle of the pitch.

"There won't be much pressure on Uwakwe but is he the right option for the Rams? I'm not so sure."