Derby County’s January transfer window failings laid bare – two missed opportunities could cost them dearly

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Derby County and John Eustace remain in an extremely perilous position in the Championship, although the January transfer window was an opportunity to address the club’s issues.

It has been a difficult couple of months for the Pride Park faithful. For much of the season, it appeared they would be a mid-table Championship side as they looked to cement their place back in the second tier.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
17	PortsmouthPortsmouth	35	10	9	16	43	57	-14	39
18	Oxford UnitedOxford United	35	9	11	15	36	52	-16	38
19	Hull CityHull City	35	9	9	17	35	44	-9	36
20	Stoke CityStoke City	35	8	12	15	34	47	-13	36
21	CardiffCardiff	35	8	12	15	38	57	-19	36
22	LutonLuton	35	8	7	20	32	55	-23	31
23	PlymouthPlymouth	35	6	12	17	36	70	-34	30
24	DerbyDerby	35	7	8	20	33	48	-15	29

Under Warne, there was plenty of business to be done to ensure they’re in the strongest possible position; it’s fair to say that January was a disaster both on and off the pitch on that front.

In February, they made the decision to part ways with Warne, despite giving him the full winter transfer window, and managed to snatch Eustace away from Blackburn Rovers.

The new boss was taking over from Warne after a dismal run of just three wins in 21 league matches. It leaves Eustace with plenty of problems to solve at Derby, but he’ll be hoping that the signing of Kemar Roofe can impress fans before the season ends.

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Derby County transfer reveal will frustrate Derby County fans

Eustace’s side suffered another blow in their recent defeat to Millwall when Crystal Palace loanee David Ozoh had to be stretchered off with a thigh injury – one that has since been revealed as season-ending by the BBC.

If that wasn’t enough, the news this week has compounded the Derby misery further. They bolstered their ranks in the winter market through permanent deals for Lars-Jorgen Salvesen, Matt Clarke, Sondre Langas, and Kemar Roofe, as well as the loan capture of Harrison Armstrong.

But John Percy of The Telegraph is reporting that the Rams agreed to a £2 million deal with Manchester City for midfielder Jacob Wright. The 19-year-old was set to undergo a medical, only for the transfer to collapse at the last moment.

To add insult to injury, Wright later secured a loan move to Norwich City. That was just one of many transfer deals to fall at the final hurdle, with a loan move for Sevilla striker Kelechi Iheanacho falling through before he ultimately joined Middlesbrough.

Then, a late attempt to sign West Brom’s John Swift was turned down on deadline day, with further pursuits of Middlesbrough duo Dan Barlaser and Anfernee Dijksteel also ending up in failure too.

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Derby County and John Eustace can still escape relegation

Derby may not have won a single game in 2025, but John Eustace’s side still have a glimmer of hope in their remaining fixtures due to the teams around them still having to face off in six-pointers.

Huge fixtures against teams like Plymouth Argyle, Hull City, Portsmouth, and Luton Town are still yet to come and they will be targeted as must-wins.

In the unforgiving landscape of the Championship, bad luck and bad timing are often the difference between staying up and going down, and those fine margins are frustrating regarding their recent transfer pursuits.

The Rams still have the time and games to rectify their position in the league, with Derby labelled as one of the worst teams this week, they have a point to prove to their fans and the rest of the footballing world.