Michael Mellon, a Morecambe loanee, might provide the Rams the answer in the second part of the season as they struggle to score goals from their strikers.
High points
Owner David Clowes has given Paul Warne his private support in spite of criticism from the team’s supporters over the player’s patchy season debut.
Derby County trails league leaders Portsmouth by 11 points at the moment, so Warne’s team needs to perform better if they are to be in the running for a top two finish.
Derby is hoping to bolster their forward line, and Michael Mellon of Morecambe is one player they may consider adding when they make their January signings.
Today’s Football League World video
After an uneven start to the 2023–24 season, Derby County’s Paul Warne has been under growing pressure from the team’s supporters; however, his future has been made clear.
Supporters who are protesting will not succeed because owner David Clowes, who selected Warne to spearhead the team’s return to the Championship more than a year ago, has given the 50-year-old private backing.
The Rams, who were in their first season under new ownership after nine full months of administration and turmoil, barely missed the third-tier play-offs last season, but more was anticipated in advance of the current campaign
Michael Mellon, who is he?
Mellon is a 19-year-old rookie to the professional game, therefore it’s likely that you’ve never heard of him.
Mellon, the manager of Oldham Athletic currently holding the position, spent his early years with Manchester United before relocating to Burnley in 2019. He signed his first professional deal in February 2022.
Mellon, a Scotland under-21 international, has not yet made an appearance for Burnley’s first team. However, he did spend the latter part of the previous campaign on loan at Morecambe in League One. The Shrimps had difficulties, and after eight goalless games, the youthful striker was included in a relegated team.
Nevertheless, Derek Adams had enough to bring Mellon back to Mazuma Stadium for the 2023–24 campaign.
In his thirteen fourth-tier games for Morecambe, Mellon has netted nine goals. His finest performance to date came on Saturday afternoon when he nailed a hat-trick in a 4-1 thumping of AFC Wimbledon, marking Adams’ team’s fourth consecutive victory.
Morecambe Statistics for Michael Mellon for the 2023–2024 Season, as of October 31, 2023
Presences
Aims
Supports
shots in a match
Key Passes for Every Game
Each Game’s Dribbles
defeated each game
Second League EFL
14.
9.
1.
3.8%
0.7
0.5%
0.7
Premier League
1.
1.
Zero
2.
1.
Zero
Zero
Mellon is obviously prepared for the next phase of his career, and Burnley, with Derby’s assistance, can help him take that step in January.
Derby’s proposed January trade deal
Nowadays, the majority of season-long loan agreements include a break clause, which allows the full-time club with which the loanee is contracted to have the option of calling the player back.
Burnley will likely want to see if Mellon can perform at a higher level and in front of the kind of crowds that Burnley draws to Turf Moor—something that Derby does in fact receive for League One fixtures—despite the fact that Mellon is performing remarkably well at Morecambe.
As a result, Mellon is available for recall by Burnley. If Derby were wise, they would also make a deal with the Clarets to bring Mellon, who will be 20 when the transfer market reopens, to strengthen their offensive line.
Warne’s alternatives are really lacking in young, particularly in terms of a versatile player like Mellon, who is also quite physically strong at 6 feet 1 inch. If at all possible, they will have to work hard to land the teenager.
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