Derby County are currently in a state of the unknown, with the club both staring down the barrel of a relegation to Sky Bet League One and still being no closer to finding a new owner. 

All of these factors on and off the field have made it very hard for Wayne Rooney and his staff to plan for the future, with player recruitment being one of the main sources of their frustration at present.

With a new owner having yet to be secured, Rooney has found himself being restricted over how much he can plan for with the January transfer window in mind.

However as with most managers up and down the country, he can still put things into place with regards to contracts and looking to tie down players for the future despite the precarious situation that the Rams find themselves in at present.

As recently reported by The Athletic, the club are planning to tie Phil Jagielka to a new deal, with talks ongoing with the veteran, whilst there is also an eagerness to gain clarity over the futures of various other individuals.

Alas, it also has to be taken into account that Derby need to start planning for what is to come in the next few years and it is for that reason that it is unsurprising to read that Sam Baldock could be a player that they look to let go.

The 32-year-old was brought into the club by Rooney back in August to add an experienced attacking option to Derby's frontline, however it has to be pointed out that a contract was only agreed until the start of January due to the fact that the Rams are still operating under strict restrictions over player transfers.

Given that it now seems that Baldock may not be offered fresh terms, it is fair to assume that we could be on our way to seeing an overall change in transfer approach at Pride Park.

Signing younger players and developing them for the first team with a view to selling them on for profit simply has to be the way forward if Derby want to become more sustainable, alongside making use of the successful production pool that is their academy.

By moving away from bringing in players that are in their mid-30s, Rooney and co will be able to start building a team that could stay in place for years to come, meaning that they will be thinking more about the long term with a clear strategy in place rather than looking for quick fixes.

In short, it is changes such as this that could make all the difference for the Rams as they seek to get back to the level that they once found themselves at during the glory years.