John Eustace’s Lewis Travis decision at Derby County leaves question marks over ‘exceptional’ star

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For Derby County, it was all change on Saturday afternoon in terms of the captaincy, as John Eustace handed Lewis Travis the armband against West Brom.

The Baggies were celebrating their 125th anniversary at The Hawthorns, with plenty of historical touches able to be found throughout the day in the West Midlands.

However, the Rams spoilt the party for the home side, as Andreas Weimann came off the bench to score the only goal of the game in the 84th minute, with the Austrian getting off the mark for a second time in black-and-white.

Yet, ahead of the game there was plenty of focus on Eustace and the decision to give Travis the captaincy, and surely there are questions to be had about where Ebou Adams fits into the plans at Derby in the years to come.

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John Eustace opens up on Lewis Travis captaincy decision at Derby County

West Brom were unable to be clinical against the Rams on Saturday just as they struggled in the Carabao Cup clash, and once again, it was the side from the East Midlands who found themselves coming out on top in this fixture – despite soaking up pressure for the majority of the clash.

Nevertheless, it was an outstanding away performance, led by Travis on the pitch as Adams ceded the captain’s armband for the first time since Eustace arrived at Derby in February, with the head coach of the club explaining his decision afterwards.

He said (via: Derby County): “Lewis is a natural leader, a true captain, a fantastic professional and great around the training ground. I spoke to Ebs (Ebou Adams) about it, and he was absolutely fine, he understood my decision.

“Ebs will be the vice-captain. Ebs has been fantastic leading this group up to now. He was exceptional last season in really difficult moments. He’s loved by everyone at the football club, including myself. He’s going to play such a huge part of our progress this year.

“But, I just felt that Lewis was coming in as the natural captain now and I’m pleased that he led the boys on his first game to a victory.”

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How Lewis Travis and Ebou Adams compared statistically vs West Brom

Travis wanted to leave Blackburn Rovers for Derby earlier this summer, and his wish was finally granted in the final few days of the transfer window, with the midfielder making his debut against Ipswich Town before the international break.

He has already endeared himself to supporters, and his first two performances have shown just how much of a leader he is, partnering Adams in the middle of the park on both occasions, with the two combining excellently in the win over West Brom.

The decision made by Eustace may leave many Derby supporters feeling a little bit confused as Adams has been at the club for nearly two years now and is a true fan favourite.

However, Travis is a player who the Rams boss knows inside out, and it suggests that the team are moving into a new era. He took the captaincy off of Nathaniel Mendez-Laing back in February, showing that he is not shy to make this choice.

Yet, with Derby’s new leader also having a four-year deal, this feels like a permanent change and Adams may have one eye on those in the pack behind him as a new face takes on a role that he evidently loved so much.