Derby County

Amelia Warren
Derby County fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

Derby County do not have the best opening day record, with their last win coming in July 2022, when they secured a 1-0 victory at home to Oxford United in League One.

It felt as though they were on course to break that curse after 45 minutes at The Valley on Saturday, as they took a 1-0 lead into the interval courtesy of a well-worked breakaway and a composed finish from Sam Szmodics.

However, despite Derby's lively start, history did in fact repeat itself. A second-half turnaround from Charlton Athletic saw the Rams fall to a 2-1 defeat, and yet another opening day loss.

Dropping points from a winning position was perhaps the most frustrating part of the result, something they were found guilty of far too often last season. Frustrations also came from some questionable substitutions, with a feeling John Eustace left it too long to make his attacking changes, only doing so once the damage had been done.

Despite the disappointing result, there were still some glimpses of positivity to take from the afternoon in south London.

Newest addition Alex Mowatt looked composed on the ball, progressed the Rams forward on a couple of occasions, and was defensively solid in midfield.

Szmodics looks as though he has come back to Derby fired up and with a point to prove having now scored two goals in two matches. He was a constant nuisance to the Charlton defence, running himself into the ground to apply pressure and feeding off Carlton Morris to get into some dangerous positions.

Corey Blackett-Taylor once again impressed off the bench, this time against his former club, looking confident on the ball and aiming to beat his man every time he received a pass on the left-hand side.

For the final 10 minutes pretty much everything Derby created came through him and with his Rams future in doubt, he appears to be putting up a solid fight for his place in Eustace's long-term plans.

In the end it did just feel like Derby ran out of legs in the second half. They were not battered by Charlton and actually strung together some impressive passages of play, particularly in the first period.

What is apparent is the need to sign two or three more players to complete the squad, and provide a little bit of extra depth - particularly out wide.

I have full confidence Derby would have been much better prepared for the season's opener had Turki Alalshikh not pulled out of his investment deal. Because of that, they are now operating on 'plan B', which will mean patience among the fan base will be important for the first few games.

Mistakes will be made, and Derby will look leggy at times. However, I believe the foundations are there for this side to compete in the top half of the Championship.

Once players like Derry Murkin and Rhian Brewster get back to full fitness and a couple of new additions start to bed in I believe the Rams will start to have a lot more joy.

One game down, 45 to go.

Image source, Shutterstock

West Bromwich Albion head coach James Morrison says the thing that most frustrated him about captain Alex Mowatt's eve-of-season exit to Derby County was the timing of it.

For the second season running, following Darnell Furlong's departure to Ipswich Town a year ago, the Baggies have lost the captain they started the season with.

But Mowatt's successor George Campbell proved a lucky on-field general in Saturday's somewhat fortuitous 2-1 win at Norwich.

And Morrison is now only looking forward after Albion's third successive opening-day Championship win in as many seasons.

"It's just football," Morrison told BBC Radio WM. "There's a little bit of a hangover. But am I going to let it derail me? No. I've got to lead the team and set an example and show that it can't affect us.

"The timing of it was the most disappointing thing for me. We'd been doing so much work - and him doing really well too. He's been the glue on the pitch and in the dressing room.

"But I can see both sides. It's a good opportunity for Alex - and for him to get the extra years too."

Albion's next key dates are this Sunday's opening home game of the campaign against relegated Burnley, followed by two tough trips to the North East, the Carabao Cup trip to Newcastle on Wednesday, 26 August and the lunchtime kick-off at Middlesbrough three days later.

Albion then do not play again until 2 September, at home to Charlton Athletic, the day after the summer transfer window closes.

But, despite losing another midfielder, Ousmane Diakité, early in the second half at Carrow Road with what looked like an injury, Morrison said his only concern is replacing Mowatt.

"I'd like to bring in another one to replace Alex, " he said. "As for Ousmane, he has an ice pack on, but he's stronger than he thinks."

Derby County and Charlton Athletic are both interested in taking Nigerian goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo on loan from Wrexham, with the 24-year-old keen to move this summer. (Alan Nixon - subscription required), external

For more EFL transfer news, read Monday's full gossip column here.

Image source, Opta

Charlton and Derby get their new Championship season under way with a meeting at The Valley on Saturday (15:00 BST).

The Addicks, who began the campaign with an EFL Cup win at Cheltenham last weekend, are unbeaten in seven seasons on the opening day, winning five of those games, most recently 1-0 at home to Watford last year.

The Rams exited the EFL Cup at home to Lincoln and have seen a proposed takeover fall through in recent days while their 3-1 defeat at Stoke last season was their third straight defeat on the opening day.

• Charlton Athletic have lost their past two home league games against Derby, only losing more consecutively between December 1946 and May 1951 (5).

• Derby County have lost just one of their previous five league meetings with Charlton Athletic (W3 D1); a 2-1 defeat in February 2024.

• Charlton lost five of their final eight league games last season (W1 D2), while only Sheffield Wednesday (12.7%) spent a lower proportion of their games in a winning position than the Addicks (16.5%) in the Championship last term.

• Derby lost six of their final eight away games last season (W2), though did win their most recent match at QPR in April (3-2).

• Carlton Morris' 12 league goals for Derby last season was his second-most in a single campaign in the top four tiers, behind his 20 for Luton Town in 2022-23; five of his goals in 2025-26 came from corners, more than anybody else.

A new episode of BBC Radio Derby's Rams Weekly podcast is now available.

Former Derby County striker Malcolm Christie is joined by Dominic Dietrich and Ed Dawes as they bring you the podcast live from Bustler in Derby.

Listen below or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.

Explore more Derby County content on BBC Sounds

Derby are in talks with West Brom over a move for 31-year-old midfielder Alex Mowatt and the Rams also remain keen on bringing 27-year-old Chile international Ben Brereton Diaz back to Pride Park from Southampton. (John Percy, external)

Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Thursday's gossip column here.

Image source, Shutterstock

West Bromwich Albion have rejected an offer from fellow Championship club Derby County for midfielder Alex Mowatt, reports BBC Radio WM.

Mowatt, 31, has a year remaining on his contract at The Hawthorns.

The former Leeds and Barnsley man has made 170 appearances for the Baggies since joining in 2021 and started Saturday's Carabao Cup win at Rotherham.

Ed Dawes
BBC Radio Derby commentator

Image source, Getty Images

With the click of a button, a social media post on X, external dashed the hopes and dreams of many Derby County supporters, who would have woken up on Monday morning desperately checking their phones for news of a takeover at Pride Park Stadium.

Instead, there is disbelief among all of us who have followed this story throughout the summer. The promise of riches for the recruitment team at Moor Farm had the city on tenterhooks, hoping the powers that be could get the deal over the line.

The EFL and the Independent Football Regulator [IFR] had already given the deal with Turki Alalshikh's Lion Sport the green light, so what could go wrong? It was a sure thing, wasn't it?

No. Alalshikh's statement, claiming there was "not enough time" to get the club in shape ahead of the new season, raised more questions than it answered. The Saudi billionaire, who has made his name successfully in boxing, clearly needs to elaborate on his reasoning, because it does not stack up.

Head coach John Eustace needs transfer funds. The dead wood in the squad has been shipped out to accommodate new arrivals. Three weeks from today, the transfer window closes after the Rams' trip to Portsmouth on 1 September.

Anyone with a knowledge of football understands the ferocity of the deals completed in the final week, days and hours of a transfer window. "Here you go, John, here's £20m," said nobody ever, but in essence it is as simple as that.

The club is debt-free. It has restaffed since administration and is being run properly under the guidance of local hero David Clowes. So, what isn't attractive about that? There are no giant bills to pay as part of the deal. Clowes Developments gets its money back and off you go.

Derby County is not a plaything. It is the beating heart of a hard-working community, allowing people to switch their focus for 90 minutes from the daily grind and the difficulties of life in 2026.

As we saw during the difficult administration period, the Rams will rally, the club will galvanise and life will continue as normal. Eustace will get blood from a stone and supporters will cheer his name.

You don't miss what you never had.

The 72+ podcast is BACK and it's got a brand new home.

Follow along as Aaron Paul and Jobi McAnuff dive into the biggest stories across the EFL, with expert analysis, exclusive guests and the moments everyone is talking about.

A new episode drops on Tuesday night so make sure not to miss it by clicking subscribe on the new 72+: The EFL Podcast BBC Sounds page here.

Image source, Getty Images

Can't get enough of your beloved Championship club? Fear not.

BBC Sport covers all 24 Championship sides with dedicated online and radio reporters at hand to tell the story from every angle.

Expect match reports, analysis, in-depth features, interviews, fan views, quizzes - the works.

We'll also have live text pages for every Championship match this season so you won't miss any of the action even when you're out of town.

Remember, the best way to get all of this content is to download the BBC Sport app and follow your favourite teams and sports using the My Sport tab.

Once you've set this up, you'll have quick access to those pages at the top of your Home tab and we'll be able to serve you better, more personalised, experiences in future.

And when following your Championship team, from the start of the 2026-27 season you'll also get Live Notifications which gives you score updates directly on your phone's lock screen during a match.

Image source, Shutterstock

Rochdale have signed Derby County forward Dajaune Brown on a season-long loan deal.

The 20-year-old Jamaica international scored one goal in 24 league appearances on loan at Port Vale last season.

He could make his Dale debut in Saturday's Carabao Cup first-round tie at Bradford City.

"He's someone we've been chasing all summer and identified early on," boss Ian Watson told the club website., external

BBC Radio Derby's Rams Weekly podcast has returned.

Former Derby County striker Malcolm Christie is joined by Dominic Dietrich and Ed Dawes to dive into the Rams' summer and what the expectations will be for the new season.

Listen below or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.

Follow more Derby County content on BBC Sounds

Aman Mahmood
BBC Sport England

Image source, Shutterstock

Mansfield Town have signed Derby County midfielder Liam Thompson for an undisclosed fee.

The 24-year-old came through the Rams' youth setup and made 124 appearances for the Championship club.

Thompson has signed a two-year deal at Nigel Clough's League One Stags.

"He's capable of playing in a couple of positions and will add real tenacity to our midfield," Clough told the Mansfield website., external

"Liam brings great energy, works hard and is a strong all-round midfielder."

Amelia Warren
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

Derby wrapped up their pre-season preparations with a 1-1 draw against Rotherham United last night.

The result meant the Rams finished with two wins, three defeats, and one draw from their six pre-season fixtures.

Is losing 50% their friendlies something to be worried about? I personally don't think so.

Last year the Rams drew once, lost once, and won four of their warm-up games. However, it would be fair to say that the majority of these games were played against generally weaker opponents than the teams Derby came up against this year.

What we have seen throughout this run of fixtures are very telling choices made by John Eustace.

Opting to rest Carlton Morris last night to have him fit and available for Saturday's Carabao Cup tie with Lincoln City, I believe sends out a signal of intent that Derby want to take the competition seriously and want to put out a team good enough to win the game, not just compete well.

Ultimately, these pre-season friendlies are never about results, they're much more about getting to see how new players can bed into the squad, building up minutes for those who have returned from injury, and experimenting with different personnel combinations and shapes.

The likes of Filip Bilbija and Charlie Taylor have been given valuable minutes to help them integrate into the side, which has also allowed Eustace to get an idea of what kind of role he would like them to play going forward into the new campaign, and allowed him to see first hand how they will fit into his system.

These things are key to test out in pre-season. For Eustace, he can go into competitive matches with a clearer understanding of who he will prefer in certain positions and of what his ideal starting XI will look like, without having to continue 'experimenting' when the pressure is on and points matter.

For the players, it's about getting to grips with Eustace's playing style, but it's also important for them to build an understanding and a connection with their team-mates.

For those who have returned from loan spells and injury, such as Corey Blackett-Taylor and Dajaune Brown, pre-season has provided them with the opportunity to build their fitness back up, but also compete for their places in Eustace's long term plans and fight to remain Derby County players.

After it was starting to feel as though we would be unlikely to see Blackett-Taylor play competitively for Derby again, suddenly he has perhaps given himself a good case to be in the starting line-up on Saturday, after being the Rams' brightest spark during the second half of last night's game.

On paper, the Rams have produced below average results since 17 July when they kicked off their pre-season. However, despite these results I think Eustace's playing style has been implemented well throughout the friendlies, even when it has led to players making mistakes, like when Derby conceded last night.

In my opinion, that's what pre-season is all about, trial and error, getting things wrong to help things eventually go right, and allowing everybody to adapt and be on the same page, manager, coaching staff and players alike.

It is no secret that Derby need to recruit further before the summer transfer window closes on 1 September but they remain in a comfortable position to start the season positively and I believe they will do just that on Saturday when they face Lincoln City at Pride Park.

You can often catch Amelia Warren, external as a guest on BBC Radio Derby.

There has been a lot of talk around Derby County and potential investment or a takeover but boss John Eustace only has eyes on the development of his squad.

Saudi Arabia government official Turki Alalshikh's cash injection into the Rams is expected to be finalised within the coming days.

Eustace, though, is not looking to "take seriously" the deal until it goes through and says, right now, he's got a squad to build.

Derby have only recruited four players so far this summer.

"I spoke to the club and they've mentioned there is a takeover but I think there's been about three takeovers since I've been here and it was the same at previous clubs as well," Eustace told BBC Radio Derby.

"It is obviously a difficult time with things going on off the pitch at the moment with potential takeovers and whatnot and I get that, but we are two weeks away from the big kick-off and I want to bring in as many quality players as I can."

• Listen to the full interview above or on BBC Sounds here

• Explore more Derby County content on BBC Sounds

And remember, this is your Derby County page so bookmark it, or if you're on the BBC Sport app or signed in on a browser, hit 'Follow' to add it to your MySport and get more news, analysis, stats and fan views - and also select the bell icon in the app to sign up for club notifications.