Paul Warne: Derby County boss wants January transfers and targets 'sustainable success'
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Derby County are on a five-game winning run in League One
Boss Paul Warne says Derby County are not scared of spending money on January transfers, but the club's brush with financial ruin means the Rams are working hard on finding bargains.
Derby last paid a transfer fee in September 2020 and were under embargo for two years until the summer.
Still, the promotion hopefuls signed only free agents and loan players.
"I don't think there is a lack of aspiration to spend money," manager Warne told BBC Sport.
"But there is a lack of energy to go down the same route that it has gone before, because obviously the club was in trouble.
"With the players we have signed, they haven't been on contracts of the previous regime and we are trying to make a club that is going to be successful - but sustainably successful. And that's maybe not as sexy as it has been in the past.
"I do think there is money to spend, but not of the eye-watering transfer money that happened in the previous regime."
Derby spent much of the 2021-22 season in administration, after being placed there by former owner Mel Morris.
It was a campaign that ended with relegation under Wayne Rooney, a manager who was not able to spend any fees on transfers during his tenure.
In the four years before Rooney's arrival at Pride Park, the club broke their transfer record four times - culminating with £10m spent on midfielder Krystian Bielik.
Asked if Derby's time in administration made them fearful of paying transfer fees, Warne replied: "No, I don't think so.
"I think where I'm trying to spend - at the top of the pitch - is the worst value, which is a bit ironic because it's probably the best value, because it brings you goals.
"It isn't an endless pot of gold that we will go to and take £6m out to buy a striker.
"It's just about getting the right player, and they have to be affordable and available."
After David Clowes took Derby out of administration in July 2022, it required a hectic rebuild under Liam Rosenior to get a team pulled together for Derby's first season back in the third division for 36 years.
Warne says he then "got it wrong" when the Rams failed to strengthen during the last January transfer window, with Derby going on to fall one place and one point short of the play-off places in 2022-23.
Now, with Derby in the play-off places after 19 games and just three points adrift of the top two, he says the recruitment team are working "damn hard" to bolster the side in their latest promotion attempt.
Derby have 'excess' to spend
While the Rams' financial dealings have been monitored by the English Football League since they came out of their transfer embargo in May, Warne says he has surplus funds for January.
"Everything we do we have to get EFL approval for," he said. "So we had a budget at the start of the season that was approved, and we didn't spend everything within our budget so we have got an excess we could spend in January, which is good.
"We need players who will come in and the next day play and help us go up.
"They are the ones that I've got on the list, but oddly enough they are the most expensive ones because they are the best players.
"Dave [Clowes] is well aware of it - he knows I want more pace and firepower.
"Everyone is well aware of the fact that this club, this squad, are pretty close to getting there, and like Ipswich and Sheffield Wednesday last year, who both had brilliant Januarys that made them stronger, that is our intention - to come out stronger. It's an important window."