Football Season Guide

The stint in League One for Derby County lasted just two seasons as head coach Paul Warne secured a second-placed finish last season, ensuring an automatic promotion spot back to the Championship. Irish forward James Collins played a pivotal role for Derby in earning their spot back in the second tier, thanks to his 14 league goals. However, it was Nathaniel Mendez-Laing who arguably made the biggest impact with his 24 total goal contributions in the division (9G, 15A). Central defender Curtis Nelson played a crucial part at the heart of defence, winning the Derby Player of the Year award. There have been a couple of key departures for the Rams thus far. The main departure has been in the form of midfielder Louie Sibley who has left to join Oxford United, while last season’s first-choice goalkeeper Joe Wildsmith has joined West Brom. The loss of experience in Conor Hourihane and Korey Smith will also be felt in the middle of midfield. With that being said, Derby have made a number of key signings to bolster the ranks. That has come in the form of Ebou Adams, Kenzo Goudmijn and Ben Osborn who should help improve the midfield situation. Meanwhile, the additions of Kayden Jackson and Jerry Yates will provide more options going forward. Josh Vickers appears to be the starter in between the sticks for the time being, who is liked by Warne.