The Derby Rambler

Weekly long-form Derby County content

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  • Derby County sign Blackburn Rovers midfielder Lewis Travis for £3m

    Derby County sign Blackburn Rovers midfielder Lewis Travis for £3m

    Five minute read

    After a long, arduous transfer saga (and countless arguments between Rams and Rovers fans, Derby finally announced the signing of Lewis Travis on Wednesday 27th August. The central midfielder joins The Rams on a four-year deal for a supposed £3m fee. 

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    Eustace’s captain at Blackburn, the Derby gaffer will be hoping that Travis can come straight into the starting eleven and plug any gaps left in the midfield. Similar to Max Johnston, Lewis Travis comes into the team after having a full preseason and playing Blackburn’s first game of the season and will be likely leaving Derby’s current midfielders wondering where they will fit into the starting eleven in the next league fixture against Ipswich Town.

    The Lewis Travis saga

    Having been linked with Lewis Travis earlier in the window, it seemed like the interest was cooling and Derby County wouldn’t be signing him – a similar story to the attempted signings of Tyrhys Dolan and Callum Brittain. Many Blackburn Rovers believed the saga to be over before it had even gotten going, thanks to reports from The Sun “journalist” Alan Nixon. Following their first Carabao Cup fixture, manager Valerien Ismael stated that Lewis Travis wanted to leave to join The Rams. This was then followed up by stripping the skipper of his captaincy. Then, just a week or two later, Travis became a Derby player. It might leave a bitter taste in the mouths of Rovers fans, especially due to the fact that the Blackburn academy graduate stated in an interview that the proudest moment of his career was signing for The Rams…

    Photo credit: Derby County Football Club

    Potential outgoings

    In terms of who might make their way out of the club to fit Travis into the squad, there are multiple options, and there may even be multiple outgoings as Derby look to thin out their overflowing numbers in midfield.

    Judging by the opinion of most Derby fans on Twitter, including my own, it seems like the writing is on the wall for Ben Osborn. Joining for free from Sheffield United in Derby’s first transfer window upon return to the Championship, Derby fans were buzzing to finally get the signature of one of their own. Despite his allegiance to the club, Osborn never impressed in a Derby shirt and could be on the way to Plymouth Argyle on loan, if rumours are to be believed.

    It may even be likely for another midfielder to leave the club, with the prime candidate being Kenzo Goudmijn. The Dutchman impressed in the first half of last season under Paul Warne, even netting himself a couple of goals. Once John Eustace was hired, the tides turned for Kenzo. He played a bit-part in the squad following the manager’s arrival, not even managing to come off the bench in the final three games of the season. While he featured heavily in preseason, the return of David Ozoh has pushed him out of the starting eleven.

    The least likely to leave is Liam Thompson, having recently signed a new contract. This leaves Ebou Adams, the shining, smiling light of Derby County’s previous two seasons. There was rumoured interest from a number of Championship clubs, including Ipswich Town, earlier in the transfer window. With Travis coming in, and the imminent returns of Rhian Brewster and Bobby Clark, it’s likely that the attacking midfield role that Adams currently fills will be taken by either of them. While Derby fans would be understandably heartbroken to see Ebou depart, it is not completely out of the question.

    Playing style

    According to the Rovers fans, Travis is a proper shithouse and loves to wind up opposition players, a trait Derby fans will certainly enjoy. While his defensive stats aren’t quite at Ebou Adams levels, in over 38 league appearances last season he won 63 and 195 tackles and duels. It’s fair to say that the 27-year-old would increase the experience and leadership level amongst the young midfield, as well as making it more solid.

  • Derby County sign Scottish International full-back Max Johnston for £2.5m

    Derby County sign Scottish International full-back Max Johnston for £2.5m

    Five-minute read

    Derby County officially announced their signing of 21-year-old Scotland international Max Johnston on a four-year deal from Austrian club SK Sturm Graz on Wednesday 27th August. The club fought off Italian clubs Bologna and Napoli for the right-back’s signature, and it’s looking like he could play a huge part in Eustace’s Derby rebuild.

    He signs for an undisclosed fee (thought to be around £2.5m and add-ons that would take the number up to £4m) and his arrival could signal at least one outgoing for Derby. With his arrival, The Rams now have a total of four out and out right-backs in the squad (he joins Joe Ward, Ryan Nyambe, and Kane Wilson).

    Photo credit: Derby County Football Club

    Potential Derby County departures

    The most likely to leave at the moment seems to be Joe Ward in terms of quality, however, it would not be out of the question for any of the right-sided full-backs to make an exit. It might make sense for the club to cash in on Kane Wilson, who garnered some Championship attention in the January 2025 transfer window. Wilson has one year left on his contract after Derby triggered a one-year extension to his contract in May. It might also make sense for Eustace to move Nyambe on, as he prefers his full-backs to be more attack-minded – which is arguably not a talent of Nyambe’s.

    “One of the most exciting full-backs in Europe”

    Watching Johnston’s first interview with Derby, it’s clear that he is very confident and mature for his age, something he confirmed himself when describing moving from Motherwell to Graz at 19 years-old. He joins a long list of former Scottish Rams (and a current one in Craig Forsyth) and one can only hope that he writes his name into the history of Derby County.

    One interesting little piece of trivia about the move is that Johnston’s father, Allan Johnston, and Derby loanee Bobby Clark’s father, Lee Clark, played together at Sunderland in the 90s.

    In John Eustace’s pre-match press conference for their upcoming away fixture against first-year parachute payment team Ipswich Town, he described Johnston as one of “the most exciting full-backs in Europe”, and judging by Johnston’s experience and appeal to other top clubs in Europe, he’s correct. The full-back spent just over two years in Austria, and in that time he’s played in all three of UEFA’s continental competitions (Champions, Europa, and Conference leagues), in addition to winning two league titles and the Austrian Cup.

    Derby County’s new ‘assets’

    Another interesting little tidbit from Eustace’s press conference is the fact that he referred to Johnston as an asset for the club, that will grow in value as the club improves their performance and hopefully achieves promotion to the premier league. This is a similar statement to the one the Derby gaffer made when talking about the club’s statement signing of the summer, Patrick Agyemang. 

    While it’s obvious Johnston and Agyemang have an important place in the squad for the coming season, it’s also clear that their signings represent a change in strategy from Derby’s previous ownership. It is a refreshing change to see David Clowes spend money on players that he intends to sell for a profit down the line. A much-needed change from the days of Mel Morris spending £5m+ on players and seeing them leave for peanuts (Krystian Bielik, I’m looking at you). Although, I’m sure we’d all like to forget about so-called Derby County fan Mel Morris and his interesting player amortisation strategies.

    Max Johnston’s playing style

    Johnston is an attacking full-back that has a similar playing style to Kane Wilson. He finds a lot of space on the right side when Sturm Graz go forward and is adept at providing assists to forward players, and even has a goal or two in his locker. He has an ability to find a man in the box, a trait that could come in very handy for The Rams, especially as the attacking midfield areas are currently ravaged by injury.

  • Rams Rumour Roundup 

    Rams Rumour Roundup 

    Six-minute read

    Another summer transfer window, another round of rumours, and also some journalist-confirmed bids for Derby County targets. The summer of 2025 has been, undoubtedly, Derby’s most ambitious transfer window since the appointment of Frank Lampard in his first managerial job.

    Obviously, at this point in the season it can be very difficult – and potentially silly – to review the success of the window, but David Clowes is certainly splashing a lot more cash than he ever has over the course of the past three seasons.

    I’m not going to even begin to do an in-depth review of the transfer window thus far, as we still have a good two weeks until it comes to a close… (Keep an eye out for an article on the 2nd of September.)

    This article, instead, is a round up of all the current confirmed bids for players (these will be bids confirmed by reputable journalists only, i.e. the likes of regional journalists that attend selling club press conferences) and rumours of potential interest. (None of these will be confirmed and will be sourced mostly through Twitter or the DCFC forum – so take with a pinch of salt.)

    Confirmed bids

    Lewis Travis BIDS CONFIRMED (1.5 and bonuses) – @_ElliottJackson

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    This is an interesting piece of business by Derby County. Credible sources have confirmed Derby’s bids for Travis, in addition to his intention to join Derby, with the most notable of those being the current Blackburn Rovers Head Coach, Valerian Ismaël.

    Having made a total of 264 competitive appearances for the Rovers first team over the past nine years, it’s fair to say that the captain’s willingness to leave the club has arrived as a shock to some Blackburn fans, but is also a predictable outcome to some as a result of the Venkys’ absence and lack of interest in their club. Neglectful owners in the Championship? Truly shocking.

    The central midfielder’s defensive statistics speak for themselves. Over 38 league fixtures last season, Travis won 63 and 195 tackles and duels. While this doesn’t quite reach the defensive heights of Ebou Adams, it’s fair to say that the 27-year-old would increase the experience and leadership level amongst the young midfield, as well as making it more solid.

    According to the latest from Elliott Jackson, Rovers reporter at the Lancashire Telegraph, Derby have had two bids rejected, with the most recent bid totalling £1.5m plus additional fees. Definitely the most nailed-on of the rumours in this list.

    Max Johnston BIDS CONFIRMED (1.4 + 1.6) @AnthonyRJoseph

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    With Derby setting their sights on a right-back to potentially provide cover for the injury-prone Ryan Nyambe and Kane Wilson, there has been interest from the club in Sturm Graz full-back, Max Johnston. 

    While the latest news on Johnston (and the other RB featured in this list) has gone quiet on the Derby County front, it’s likely that Derby’s first two matches this season may have shifted Eustace and his coaching staff’s priorities positionally. This does not necessarily mean that the club are no longer interested in signing a player for that position, however.

    He appears to be an attacking full-back in a similar vein to Kane Wilson. He seems to find a lot of space on the right side when Sturm Graz go forward. Clips of his time at Motherwell and the Austrian side show he has an ability to find a man in the box, a trait sorely missing from The Rams’ injury-ravaged attacking midfield areas.

    As reported by Sky Sports News reporter, Anthony Joseph, the latest news on The Rams’ interest in Johnston is that after having two bids rejected, £1.4m and £1.6m, the club were preparing an improved third offer. However, reporting on this went quiet after Joseph’s last tweet on the topic on Sunday 10th August. Panathinaikos are also said to be interested in the right-back.

    Koki Saito BID? (TBC) @mcgrathmike

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    A bid for Lommel SK left-sided winger Koki Saito (a player that Derby fans might recognise from his time on loan with QPR in the 2024/25 season) was first reported by The Daily Telegraph football reporter Mike McGrath on Thursday 14th August. The tweet doesn’t include the value of the offer, but does state that Birmingham City, FC Twente, and QPR have also submitted bids for the Japanese winger.

    Saito clearly has very tricky feet, and is adept at taking on defenders on the edge of the box and creating chances using his quick acceleration. Derby fans will, unfortunately, remember his deft finish from inside the box in the 4-0 dismantling during John Eustace’s first match in charge.

    Saito is able to cut inside and attack the goal and also provide chances for strikers with his whipped crosses. Despite looking a bit lightweight at 5’5” – his low centre of gravity helps him shrug off defenders much bigger than him, showing a surprising amount of strength. 

    With a season of Championship experience under his belt, Koki Saito could provide some welcome attacking prowess following Blackett-Taylor’s recent injury (and likely future injuries, let’s face it). Although, with bids from big-spending Blues and his previous club QPR, Derby may have a fight on their hands.

    Unconfirmed rumours

    Isaac Hayden Rumour @FootballLeagueW

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    One of the least convincing rumours in this list, it was reported on 14th August that Derby are ‘interested’ in the former Newcastle United midfielder by Football League World. It could be argued that this would be one of the most unimpressive links to potential players for The Rams.

    The 30-year-old has spent the last two seasons on loan at Championship clubs QPR and Portsmouth, appearing in exactly 17 matches for both clubs. Judging by his average match ratings, Hayden didn’t exactly pull up any trees in his time at Portsmouth, but did put in some decent defensive performances at QPR. FLW states that Hayden could potentially be an option for The Rams if the Lewis Travis move doesn’t materialise.

    I’ve seen plenty of people write off this particular website/Twitter account but this was the first account to tweet about Derby’s interest in Lewis Travis on June 11th, so let’s not completely write them off.

    Alfie Gilchrist Rumour @mcgrathmike

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    With a year left on his contract, an impressive season with play-off final losers Sheffield United, and with Chelsea recently cutting his price tag down from £5m to £1.5m, Alfie Gilchrist is a very attractive young talent to a lot of Championship clubs. 

    In a tweet on 5th August, Mike McGrath claimed that Gilchrist had held talks with Derby, but nothing much has come out since regarding the club’s interest.

    Gilchrist looks to be a defensively solid full-back that also likes to get forward to provide an attacking threat. With the interest in Gilchrist and Johnston, it’s obvious that John Eustace likes a full-back that looks to attack and cause mayhem in the opposition box.

    With the lack of recent reporting on The Rams’ interest, it seems unlikely that Gilchrist will be pulling on a black and white shirt this season. However, at that price, the club that does sign him could have themselves a bargain on their hands.

    Going forward

    I will be publishing another one of these articles (assuming there are more rumours or updates on previous bids) by next Friday – 22nd August – and then possibly another on Deadline Day the following week if any rumours go down to the wire.