Derby County’s five worst signings of the last 10 seasons, featuring £3m forward

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The summer transfer window is officially open, and with Derby County bidding for a mid-table finish in the Championship next season, a busy few months are ahead.

John Eustace oversaw an incredible turnaround at the end of the 2024/25 campaign, with the Rams confirming their survival on the final day with a 0-0 draw at home to Stoke City.

However, the 45-year-old knows how much work is needed to ensure that progression happens in the space of the next year, and ensuring their safety in the Championship should be an absolute minimum.

But to do this, new signings are needed but he must get these right, with the club having a little bit of history of poor new arrivals, and EFL Analysis has taken a look at Derby’s five worst signings in the last 10 years.

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Derby County’s worst five signings since 2015

Nick Blackman

Nick Blackman joined the Rams in January 2016 after a strong first-half of the season at Reading. He scored 11 goals in 25 games for the Royals at the start of the campaign, but he was unable to replicate that in the East Midlands.

He signed for more than £3m, as per Berkshire Live, and over the course of the next three seasons he scored just one goal in 29 appearances before eventually departing at the end of his contract.

Loan spells in Spain and Israel offered a reprieve for both parties, but Derby were never able to recover the cash that they spent on the forward, with Reading perhaps still surprised that they were able to gain so much financially from the deal.

Raul Albentosa

In January 2015, the Rams were looking strong and promotion to the Premier League was looking likely. Steve McClaren had taken his team to the top of the Championship table, and he added to his squad with Spanish defender Raul Albentosa.

Derbyshire Live previously reported the fee for the centre-back to be around the €600,000 mark, and while nowhere near one of Derby’s highest ever fees, they will feel as though they lost out majorly as Albentosa played just 10 games for the club.

In one of the strangest revelations in the history of the Rams, it emerged that the now 36-year-old left his specialised insoles in Spain, and he left after just a year-and-a-half.

Ikechi Anya

One of very few signings that Nigel Pearson made during his short stint at Pride Park, Ikechi Anya arrived with some excitement after some very strong years with Watford.

As per BBC Radio Derby, the winger cost the Rams around £4m, and it quickly became clear that they had overspent as he struggled for fitness, while his numbers in front of goal were simply nowhere near the level that was needed.

Anya spent four years at Derby, although he failed to make a single appearance in either of his last two seasons in DE24 and he departed at the end of his contract – scoring once, assisting five times and playing just 38 times.

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Abdoul Camara

While he does make this list, there can be no denying that Abdoul Camara is a cult hero at Pride Park in his own right, and supporters have always had a genuine like for the now retired winger.

However, it must be stated that his time with the Rams did not get off to the best start, and his struggles continued throughout after joining from French sides Angers in January 2016 for a fee that BBC Sport reported to be £1.25m.

The ex-Guinea international scored the one goal in black-and-white, coming against Leicester City (a rivalry that is set to be renewed in the Championship in 2025/26), but he struggled with the pace of the Championship and eventually Camara left for EA Guingamp.

Leon Best

Despite being just a loan signing, Leon Best will be regarded by Derby fans as one of the club’s worst strikers in recent years.

The 38-year-old, who retired from football in 2018, joined the Rams ahead of the 2014/15 campaign, with the Rams still reeling from their Championship play-off final defeat to QPR.

Best played 15 games for Derby in the second tier while on loan from Blackburn Rovers, but he failed to find the back of the net once and he struggled to make any impact at all.

His deal was cancelled early, but he managed to get the last laugh as he helped engineer a comeback from 3-0 down against the East Midlands outfit for Rotherham United a year later in a 3-3 draw.