Derby boss didn’t want to lose young striker to Crystal Palace
Derby County manager Wayne Rooney has reacted to Luke Plange’s deadline day move to Crystal Palace.
The Eagles agreed a £1million deal for the former Arsenal youngster. Plange will stay on loan with the Rams for the remainder of the campaign.
Derby are in administration and have rejected a number of approaches for their players, including turning down Millwall’s bid for midfielder Louie Sibley. But Chelsea signed Dylan Williams while Wigan bought Graeme Shinnie.
Plange, 19, signed a deal with Palace until the summer of 2025.
Rooney – asked about squad exits in the January transfer window – told BBC Radio Derby: “There’s a reason why they’ve come in and tried to do it now because they know they are getting the players a lot lower than they are actually valued at.”
“Some people might look at it and say, it’s young players that have gone out, but we’ve been relying on young players all season, so it’s a big hit for us.
“Ideally I’d have wanted him [Plange] to stay with us, maybe for another 18 months, and see him develop.
“For the club as a whole, it would have been better financially if that was the case.
“We’re in a difficult position and I feel other clubs have taken advantage of that. Whether that’s Wigan with Graeme Shinnie, Crystal Palace with Luke Plange, they’ve seen an opportunity.
“There’s a reason why they’ve come in and tried to do it now because they know they are getting the players a lot lower than they are actually valued at.”
