Derby County failed in late transfer move for Charlton Athletic player

Corey Blackett-Taylor was wanted by the Rams in the latter stages of the summer window, but the Addicks managed to hold firm

Derby County and Charlton Athletic are two former Premier League clubs now having to try and navigate their way out of League One, and they have had contrasting starts to the season.

The Rams have won three times and lost three times under Paul Warne to sit on nine points, while the Addicks are three points behind them but have already fired their manager.

Dean Holden paid the price for four straight league defeats, as he has been replaced in the Valley dugout by Michael Appleton.

Both teams have made substantial additions in the transfer market, with Charlton bringing in Alfie Pay, Panuchte Camara, and Terry Taylor, while the Rams have brought in a number of League One veterans, including Connor Washington, Joe Ward, Curt Nelson, and Sonny Bradley.

The two teams did make touch in the final days of the transfer window, however, and it was about a Charlton player.

According to the South London Press, Paul Warne was interested in versatile wide player Corey Blackett-Taylor, but the Addicks were able to turn off a proposal from Pride Park for his services.

With few alternatives out wide, Blackett-Taylor will almost certainly be a vital part of Michael Appleton’s plans, but it could have been a different scenario if Derby’s proposal had been accepted.

Charlton also had to turn down proposals from Wrexham for George Dobson, while teenage attacker Miles Leaburn drew interest from both Championship and German clubs.

Where might Corey Blackett-Taylor have slotted in at Derby?

With Derby employing Warne’s preferred 3-5-2 structure, which he used as a long-serving manager at Rotherham, you’d assume Blackett-Taylor would fit in well at Pride Park.

Of course, the winger would be a nice alternative if Warne ever went back to a 4-2-3-1 formation, but Blackett-Taylor has also adapted to become a wing-back while at Charlton.

Blackett-Taylor has already played as a left wing-back three times this season, and despite being right-footed, he frequently played as a left wing-back in his first year at The Valley.

If he could have gotten a deal done, Warne would have most certainly recruited him for that position, bringing some pace and an inverted wing-back kind of player to his side to compete with a more conventional left-sider in Callum Elder.

What is the current status of Corey Blackett-Taylor at Charlton?
Blackett-Taylor’s contract with the Addicks was extended in March 2023 via an optional one-year clause because it was slated to expire a few months later.

That will keep him at the club until the summer of 2024, but the 25-year-old will have to make a crucial choice about his future soon.

If Charlton offers him a new contract before the end of the season, he could sign it.