Derby County have landed somewhat of a mini-transfer coup after announcing the arrival of Everton youngster Lewis Dobbin on a season-long loan deal.

The Rams got off to a winning start in League One this past weekend when they dispatched Oxford United thanks to a Conor Hourihane goal, and despite all the new faces at Pride Park, there are some positions that still needed working on.

One of those was up-front, with interim manager Liam Rosenior having just James Collins and Jack Stretton to choose from in his squad.

Rosenior has now added to those options with the signing of Dobbin, who has shown great promise at the Toffees and made three Premier League appearances during the 2021-22 campaign, as well as two FA Cup showings.

The 19-year-old featured heavily for Everton's under-23's side last season, scoring six times in 18 outings in the Premier League 2 competition, as well as playing in the EFL Trophy.

Capable of playing out wide on both sides as well as being a natural striker, Dobbin has expressed his excitement at becoming a Derby player, where he is hoping to kick on and gain experience before heading back to Goodison Park.

"I’m delighted it’s finally done," Dobbin told Rams TV.

"I’m buzzing and I can’t wait to get started and meet the fans at Pride Park.

"I have had interest in me for a couple of weeks now and it’s finally over the line. I’m happy to be here.

This is a good opportunity for me to come here and prove myself and help take the club back in the right direction, which is where they deserve to be after everything that has gone on in the last year.

"The team that Derby played last year, and the way they fought, makes me want to get out there on the pitch and show everyone what I can do as well.

"Hopefully we can win a lot of games and I can score a lot of goals too."

The Verdict

A new centre-forward was definitely much-needed for Derby even after bringing in the experience of James Collins - it's a long season with plenty of games to play.

That means rotation will be needed, and getting a player in like Dobbin who can figure in multiple positions is always handy.

Dobbin has clearly excited many at Everton enough to appear in both the FA Cup and Premier League last season, but even with their striker shortage right now, it was unlikely that over the course of a full season the teenager was going to make many appearances.

Therefore, an EFL loan move is definitely the right move for Dobbin, who will be looking to hit the ground running and bag goals for County.