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It’s been three weeks since Derby County released their retained list, and while there were few surprises, there is always a level of emotion that comes with seeing players come and go.
The Rams’ owner, David Clowes, is looking for investment to help push his club further up the table after John Eustace secured survival on the final day of 2024/25.
Attention has quickly turned to the transfer market, and Derby supporters are awaiting their first signing of the summer, although the likes of Andreas Weimann and Craig Dawson are linked with moves to Pride Park.
However, one player who is leaving the Rams at the end of his contract has spoken out about how his departure could have happened much earlier than it has.
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Tom Barkhuizen nearly switched Derby County for South Korea in January
Tom Barkhuizen was one of the very first arrivals of the Clowes era, and he played a big role in Derby’s return to the Championship. But he struggled for minutes in the second tier, and he nearly left the club in the January transfer window.
While he was unable to secure a move in the winter, he will leave this summer at the end of his contract, and he has spoken to the Lancashire Post about just how close he came to leaving Pride Park in the 2024/25 campaign.
He said (via: Lancashire Post): “It’s really exciting to try something new. I want to go somewhere and play every week and prove I’ve still got the ability I had, to perform. I am looking forward to this summer to see what it brings; I like a new challenge and I am probably more of a leader, and a bit older.
“It will be nice to bring those attributes to a dressing room and see how that fares. It is quiet at the moment. I have had a few phone calls, which is nice to get early doors. I spoke with one manager which is a really good option for me to be honest, and I will just let my agent do what he can.
“I have said for a few years I would like to experience going abroad. Whether that is this time, or when I am a bit older, because I don’t really care where I go abroad – I just think it would be really cool to experience a different culture. Whether that happens or not, I don’t know, but hopefully I can get myself something decent and a really good project.”
Barkhuizen continued: “The States would obviously be cool, because they are so different to us but speak English – and I have a really good friend who lives in the States now.
“But, I had a phone call from South Korea in January and I said to my agent that if we can get it done I would go, because that is the complete opposite. It was a small town, they didn’t speak English, but the challenge of living a different life excites me. Again, would another promotion from League One excite me? Yeah, it would, so we’ll see.”
John Eustace is moving the Rams on from their previous era
There is a new Chief Financial Officer at Derby, and it is clear to see that the club is going through an evolution following the confirmation of their Championship status.
Losing players like Barkhuizen is proof that the Rams are showing ambition to not stagnate, and moving forwards is crucial if they are to return to the Premier League in the future, as Eustace has planned.
He is not the only winger to have left Derby, with Nathaniel Mendez-Laing making a permanent move to MK Dons to reunite with Paul Warne and now there is a desperate need to find replacements for the pair.
Nevertheless, with the transfer window not coming to an end until September 1, there is plenty of time for the Rams to bring in their new stars, while Barkhuizen looks for a new place to call home after three years in the East Midlands.