Gary Rowett is expecting a quiet transfer window for the Rams.

Derby finished in sixth place after a strong end to the season. However, there was to be no fairytale as Fulham turned around a 1-0 deficit from the first leg to win 2-1 on aggregate with a dominant attacking performance at Craven Cottage, which takes them to the play-off final.

Rowett brought in Curtis Davies, Tom Huddlestone, Andre Wisdom and Tom Lawrence last summer, but that was easily covered by Tom Ince, Will Hughes and Cyrus Christie being sold. However, his predecessors spent heavily, so Derby have to be careful with their spending.

This was acknowledged by Rowett after the Fulham game when he talked to BBC Radio Derby: "I'd want to make sure we're in a position to still challenge regardless of what we have to do financially."

"Any manager would tell you that you would love to get in the play-offs and have a summer where you can recruit very strongly and try to improve the side."

"But the reality is, after lots of years and lots of managers doing that, I am the manager who has to balance it all out a little bit more."

The Verdict

As Rowett pointed out, it would be nice to build on this season with some significant investment in the squad, but they are limited financially so they will have to be smart with their signings.

Rams fans shouldn't be worried, though, because Rowett showed last season that he is excellent at picking out areas of his squad that need improvement and is adept at finding bargains who can fill that role.