Derby County set to release Paul Warne favourite, he’s not featured at all this season

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Derby County are finalising the last few contract situations at Pride Park, and John Eustace has already had several tough decisions to make.

It’s been a season to remember for multiple reasons for Rams fans, and despite coming close to relegation, their incredible fight against the drop will be what the majority take out of the last 12 months following promotion in April 2024.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
16	PortsmouthPortsmouth	46	14	12	20	58	71	-13	54
17	Oxford UnitedOxford United	46	13	14	19	49	65	-16	53
18	Stoke CityStoke City	46	12	15	19	45	62	-17	51
19	DerbyDerby	46	13	11	22	48	56	-8	50
20	PrestonPreston	46	10	20	16	48	59	-11	50
21	Hull CityHull City	46	12	13	21	44	54	-10	49
22	LutonLuton	46	13	10	23	45	69	-24	49

With 11 contracts due to expire, and five loan players returning to their parent clubs, Derby’s squad will look incredibly different when the second tier returns in August as the Championship play-offs near their completion.

But, for one of those who has been in the East Midlands over the last couple of years, his time in black-and-white is coming to an end and these will be his last few days as an employee of the Rams.

Conor Washington emerges as the first casualty of Derby County’s summer

Conor Washington’s time at Pride Park has been incredibly underwhelming after he joined the club from Rotherham United ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

A favourite of Paul Warne, the striker scored three times in 19 League One appearances as Derby went on to finish second in the division behind Portsmouth, winning promotion to the Championship just two years after they were in administration.

However, the last 12 months have been tough for the Northern Ireland international, failing to make a single appearance for the senior team before he was removed from the 25-player squad following the January transfer window.

According to the Belfast Telegraph, his problems have just become even greater with Derby deciding against offering the forward a new contract when his deal expires on June 30 and he will depart as a free agent.

John Eustace has a busy transfer window ahead of him

With so many players likely to depart, the next few months will be incredibly busy at Pride Park after the EFL confirmed the transfer window’s dates.

After a Manager of the Year worthy season, Eustace will be hoping that he can build a squad capable of competing towards the top end of the Championship in 2025/26, as the club look to put this year’s relegation scrap behind them.

Letting go of the likes of Washington is just the start of a revolution in DE24, and supporters will expect a few others to follow him out of the door in the coming days and weeks as their head coach looks to print his own stamp on the club.

Nevertheless, the contributions that the striker made over his two years were extremely limited and the best decision for all parties has been taken.