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Derby County are not slowing down when it comes to transfer business, and they’ve just landed Ben Brereton Diaz to continue their fine work in the market.
John Eustace has really made the most of his first transfer window with Derby County, completely rebuilding the squad and making the Rams a dark horse for a play-off push this season.
We’ve now seen 13 new Derby County signings this summer, and there’s a chance they may even do more deals on transfer deadline day.
With the arrival of Ben Brereton Diaz, it’s interesting that fans are not only excited about their new player, but are also really impressed with the folks behind the scenes who have made these deals happen.
Derby County fans have their say on Ben Brereton Diaz
Upon announcing the signing of Brereton Diaz on Sunday evening, Derby County fans took to Twitter/X to discuss the new boy. But, among the comments and replies, most fans were just eager to praise both David Clowes for bankrolling the business, and Stephen Pearce for his work on recruitment strategy.
One fan said, “Unreal business this season Stephen Pearce, hats off to you. Magnificent.”
Another added: “Some people won’t have it, but a lot of credit to Stephen Pearce and the recruitment team for this. David Clowes puts up the money but the technical and financial details are handled by the rest of the team behind the scenes.”
The majority of Rams’ fans are really happy with the way Eustace’s squad is shaping up for the new season. One said, “I have to say this is the most exciting [signing] for me. David Clowes, take a bow,” while another added, “What a fantastic squad… the best we have had in years.”
Similar sentiments were shared by one Derby County fan who wrote: “This has to be our best and most exciting window in a LONG time, it’s good to see us back. What a squad we’re building.”
Another, rather amusingly, wrote: “After the International break we’re going two-footed into this league. Sir David Clowes strikes again.”
Ben Brereton Diaz’s first words at Derby County
Arriving on a season-long loan from Championship rivals Southampton, Brereton Diaz offers options out wide for Derby; an area that has been seen as a weakness for the Rams thus far.
Discussing the move in his first interview with the club, Brereton Diaz said: “I’m really pleased to get this sorted. It is something that has been going on for the last week or so. I’m delighted to be here, and I can’t wait to get started with the lads.
“I’ve had a year at Southampton now and not played as much as I want to. I spoke to the gaffer here, and from there it was a no-brainer for me to come and play more games and help the team. At the end of the day, it’s a great club – so it’s a no-brainer.”
On his conversations with the Derby County manager and his peers ahead of the switch, he added: “I’ve got a lot of good friends there who speak really highly of him. He was brilliant on the phone with me and from that moment on, the only thing that I really wanted to do was join Derby County.
“I want to play as many games as I can. I want to score goals, I want to help the team, create chances and be a good team-mate. I’m just really excited to be involved in this season. I know Derby have had a lot of signings – I’m excited to meet the lads and get down to work.”
Interestingly, this is yet another new Derby County signing made by Eustace who has a connection with his former club, Blackburn Rovers.