Ex Everton star at centre of Charlton Athletic and Derby County transfer debacle

Ex Everton youth star Thierry Small could become the centre of a transfer debacle involving Charlton Athletic and Derby County.

The full-back signed a short-term contract with the Addicks in February and has impressed in his short time in London. Small made 14 appearances for Nathan Jones' side as they avoided the League One drop zone in style.

Charlton Athletic hold the option of another year in Small's contract and Jones had previously expressed his fondness of the player. The Welshman said: “What we won’t do is get rid of good players. We’ll protect good players – if Thierry falls into that then Thierry will be looked after.

“I’ve been really pleased. Obviously, I know Thierry from Southampton. He had a bit of a tough time – a big-money move as a teenager when he came to Southampton.

"Sometimes you have a little bit of a plateau before you can go again. We hope that is it for Thierry. He is a great kid – a fantastic athlete. He needs some polishing around the edges – but so do most teenagers.

"We have to respect he is still very, very young. But I’ve been really pleased with him. Thierry is one of 20-odd players that have just given me everything and opened up their mentality."

Small himself had shared his desire to stay at the club, saying that he could "100%" see himself playing football at The Valley next season. However, Football Insider now reports that Derby County are interested in recruiting the 19-year-old ahead of their return to the Championship.

Should Small have left Charlton on the expiry of his short-term deal, he would have been available on a free transfer. However, in their release list, the club confirmed not only the option to trigger an extra year, but that the player had been offered a long-term contract.

Football Insider reports that Charlton are yet to receive any official bid from Derby County, with the details of Small's contract extension still up in the air.