It seems that the Rams may finally have clubs interested in taking the “too good for the Championship” pair of Tyrone Mears and Giles Barnes.

Various media outlets have been reporting Portsmouth is preparing to make a bid for Tyrone Mears in the vicinity of £750,000. Pompey is expected to sell Glen Johnson to either Liverpool or Chelsea who are both flagging interest and they see Mears as a possible replacement.

The defender returned from his loan at Marseilles without the offer of a permanent contract and would no doubt jump at the opportunity to join a Premiership club, after falling out with Derby in spectacular style last season.

Burnley have also been mentioned as possible suitors for Tyrone and should the Portsmouth link not eventuate, perhaps the new team on the Premier League block - the Clarets - would become an enticing prospect for Tyrone.

Giles Barnes is another player whom the club would seem happy to part with after making it only too obvious he believes he is better than the CCC. His loan stint at Fulham last season came to nothing after Barnes ultimately spent more time in the medical room than on the pitch.

A Premier League lifeline may come from former Rams manager Phil Brown who is reportedly looking at bringing his former charger to Hull City. After narrowly beating the drop last season, Barnes would join former Ram Craig Fagan there, if a rumoured £2 million offer comes to fruition.

Derby may struggle to get the price they apparently have put on Giles' head but as the head is quite a large one, there is no doubt the tag will fit.

One suggestion I would make to any club that eventually signs them is to firmly seal all windows and remove all mirrors if you want to get these two players to concentrate on their game rather than themselves.

Meanwhile in other news a Rams player who probably deserves interest from top flight clubs more than those previously mentioned, Kris Commons, has been talking up the Rams chances next season.

In an interview with the Derby Evening Telegraph he predicted a big season for not only Rob Hulse but also for the club:

"Once the ball is in the box, Hulsey is always a threat; the big man has done well and scored a hatful of goals this season”.

"If he's on fire next season too, then I think we've got a great chance because he could quite easily get you 20 goals."

"We want to be in and around the play-off area, when we have got our best side together, and everyone fighting fit, we are a good strong outfit.

"At times, we have looked great, like at Forest and against Manchester United in the Carling Cup, and at other times, we have looked shocking, like at home to QPR".

"Consistency is what we will be looking for next season."

It’s nice to hear a player talking positively and sounding committed to the cause as the new season draws closer.

Mears and Barnes could learn a lot from young Kris on managing not only their talent but winning over the fans that pay their wages.

Photo: Action Images

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