Tony Mowbray makes “surprised” claim involving Derby County ahead of Blackburn Rovers tie

Blackburn Rovers boss Tony Mowbray admits he was surprised by the strength in depth Derby County have despite their current financial woes, speaking to the Lancashire Telegraph ahead of this clash.

The Rams have endured a torrid time in terms of transfers over the past year, being placed under a transfer embargo in the summer for a range of financial misdemeanours including a failure to submit their accounts and defaulting on payments to Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

This meant they were forced to stick to loan deals and free transfers, managing to recruit five players in the end but this wasn’t a sufficient number considering six loanees alone left in the summer without considering permanent departures.

Their entrance into administration in September and another transfer embargo in January meant they were unable to sign anyone and were even forced to let go of Phil Jagielka on the expiration of his contract, something Wayne Rooney didn’t want to do after seeing the 39-year-old become an integral part of the first team.

There have been more departures on top of that though, with Graeme Shinnie moving on to Wigan Athletic, QPR recruiting David Marshall, Luke Plange signing for Crystal Palace before returning on loan, Dylan Williams heading to Chelsea and most recently, Kamil Jozwiak moving away from England altogether as he joined MLS outfit Charlotte.

You couldn’t be blamed if you were left wondering whether they had a squad to put together after that with no one joining – and Mowbray is one man who is surprised at the amount of talent the East Midlands outfit still have at their disposal.

He said: “I was surprised when I looked at their squad sheet really of how deep it goes – Kazim-Richards on the bench and