| Club: | Derby County |
| Season: | 2024–25 |
| Owner: | David Clowes |
| Manager: | Paul Warne |
| Mgrtitle: | Head coach |
| Stadium: | Pride Park Stadium |
| League: | Championship |
| League Result: | 12th |
| Cup1: | FA Cup |
| Cup1 Result: | Third round |
| Cup2: | EFL Cup |
| Cup2 Result: | Second round |
| League Topscorer: | Kayden Jackson Curtis Nelson Kane Wilson (1 each) |
| Season Topscorer: | Kayden Jackson (2) |
| Highest Attendance: | 29,443 vs Middlesbrough, 17 August 2024, Championship |
| Lowest Attendance: | 8,538 vs Chesterfield, 13 August 2024, EFL Cup |
| Average Attendance: | 29,443 |
| Largest Win: | 2–1 vs Chesterfield (H), 13 August 2024, EFL Cup 1–0 vs Middlesbrough (H), 17 August 2024, Championship |
| Largest Loss: | 2–4 vs Blackburn Rovers (A), 9 August 2024, Championship |
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| Prevseason: | 2023–24 |
| Nextseason: | 2025–26 |
| Updated: | 17 August 2024 |
The 2024–25 season is Derby County's 126th season in the Football League and their 55th in the second tier of English football. It is their first season in the Championship since 2022 following their promotion as runners-up in League One in the previous campaign. They will also compete in the FA Cup and the EFL Cup, and will enter in the 3rd round and 1st round respectively.
1 July saw the start of pre-season for the 2024–25 campaign, with the players returning to training after the summer break. As 30 June had seen the final day of a number of players contracts, 1 July also saw the official departure of Dwight Gayle, Conor Hourihane, Scott Loach, Korey Smith, Martyn Waghorn, and Joe Wildsmith from the first team as had been announced via the release of the club's retained list six-weeks previously.[1]
Louie Sibley joined Oxford United following his rejection of a new contract.[2] [3] Conversely, Corey Blackett-Taylor saw his loan deal from Charlton Athletic become a permanent deal,[4] and Ben Osborn joined on a free from Sheffield United.[5] The third and fourth signings of the summer followed the next day, with Kayden Jackson arriving on a free transfer following his release by Ipswich Town[6] and Jerry Yates coming in on a season-long loan from Swansea City.[7]
After this flurry, the next signing came a week later, with dutch midfielder Kenzo Goudmijn joining from AZ Alkmaar;[8] a week after that Gambian midfielder Ebou Adams, a popular loanee in the promotion campaign the previous season, signed on a permanent deal from Cardiff City.[9]
Derby's first Championship game in two years came on Friday 9 August with a trip to Ewood Park to play Blackburn Rovers. The match saw the full debuts of Kenzo Goudmijn, David Ozoh, Ben Osborn, and Kayden Jackson but ended in a 4-2 defeat despite the game being level at 1-1 with 20 minutes remaining. Paul Warne put the late collapse down to Blackburn's substitutes saying 'They changed it and brought on cheat codes all over the place. We looked a little bit leggy and it's my fault because I didn't make the subs quick enough.'[10] Four days later, Derby earned their first win of the campaign with a 2-1 home victory over League Two Chesterfield in the EFL Cup 1st round, with Jackson scoring the winner with his first goal for the club on his home debut. Derby's first week back in the second tier ended with the announcement that the club has completed its protracted pursuit of Djurgårdens IF Sweden international goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterström for an undisclosed fee rumoured to be around £1.4m.[11] A surprise outgoing was midfielder Tyrese Fornah who dropped two divisions to join League Two Salford City.[12] Warne said of the move 'I want people that want to be here. He was frustrated he wasn't getting enough game time that his ability deserved. I was disappointed. I didn't want him to go. He goes with my blessing and I wish him all the best.'[13]
Derby's first championship home game of the season came against Middlesbrough, with the Rams gaining their first win of the new season as they ran out out 1-0 victors thanks to Jackson's 14th-minute goal, his second goal in consecutive games, with Warne believing that the team 'stepped up a level' and praising the efforts of the players.[14]
| No. | Name | Position | Nationality | Date of birth (Age) | Signed from | Signed | Fee | Contract ends | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | |||||||||||||
| 1 |  | 2024 | Undisclosed | 2027 | |||||||||
| 13 | 2024 | Free | 2025 | ||||||||||
| 31 | 2023 | Free | 2026 | ||||||||||
| Defenders | |||||||||||||
| 2 | 2023 | Undisclosed | 2025 | ||||||||||
| 3 | 2013 | £150,000 | 2025 | ||||||||||
| 5 | 2023 | Free | 2025 | ||||||||||
| 6 |  | Academy | 2018 | 2027 | |||||||||
| 20 |  | 2023 | Free | 2026 | |||||||||
| 21 | 2022 | Free | 2026 | ||||||||||
| 24 |  | Free Agent | 2023 | 2027 | |||||||||
| 35 | 2023 | Free | 2025 | ||||||||||
| Midfielders | |||||||||||||
| 4 | 2024 | Loan | 2025 | ||||||||||
| 8 | 2024 | Free | 2026 | ||||||||||
| 16 | Academy | 2018 | 2025 | ||||||||||
| 17 | 2024 | Undisclosed | 2028 | ||||||||||
| 23 | 2023 | Free | 2026 | ||||||||||
| 26 | 2021 | Undisclosed | 2026 | ||||||||||
| 32 | 2024 | Undisclosed | 2027 | ||||||||||
| Forwards | |||||||||||||
| 7 | 2022 | Free | 2025 | ||||||||||
| 9 | | 2022 | Free | 2025 | |||||||||
| 10 | 2024 | Loan | 2025 | ||||||||||
| 11 | 2022 | Free | 2026 | ||||||||||
| 14 | 2023 | Undisclosed | 2025 | ||||||||||
| 19 | 2024 | Free | 2026 | ||||||||||
| 27 | 2024 | Free | 2027 | ||||||||||
| 39 |  | Academy | 2022 | 2026 | |||||||||
| Out on loan | |||||||||||||
| 22 |  | 2023 | Undisclosed | 2025 | |||||||||
| Date | Pos. | Player | From | Fee | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 July 2024 | Free | |||||
| 1 July 2024 | Free | |||||
| 2 July 2024 | Free | |||||
| 10 July 2024 | Undisclosed | |||||
| 11 July 2024 | Free | [16] | ||||
| 11 July 2024 | Jerome Richards | Free | ||||
| 11 July 2024 | Free | |||||
| 11 July 2024 | Alex Stepien-Iwumene | Free | ||||
| 17 July 2024 | Undisclosed | |||||
| 26 July 2024 | Freddie Turley | Undisclosed | [17] | |||
| 7 August 2024 | Free | [18] | ||||
| 16 August 2024 | Undisclosed |
| Date | Pos. | Player | To | Fee | Ref |
|---|
| Date | Pos. | Player | From | Date until | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 July 2024 | End of Season | |||||
| 24 July 2024 | End of Season | [19] |
| Date | Pos. | Player | To | Date until | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 July 2024 | 31 December 2024 | [20] | ||||
| 14 August 2024 | End of Season | |||||
| 17 August 2024 | Ryan Bartley | 14 September 2024 | [21] | |||
| 20 August 2024 | 1 January 2025 | [22] |
| Date | Pos. | Player | Subsequent club | Join date | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 June 2024 | 1 July 2024 | [23] | ||||
| 30 June 2024 | Owen Oseni | 1 July 2024 | [24] | |||
| 30 June 2024 | 3 July 2024 | |||||
| 30 June 2024 | Charlie Lindsay | Glentoran | 9 July 2024 | [25] | ||
| 30 June 2024 | 10 July 2024 | [26] | ||||
| 30 June 2024 | 17 July 2024 | [27] | ||||
| 30 June 2024 | Jack Bates | |||||
| 30 June 2024 | ||||||
| 30 June 2024 | ||||||
| 30 June 2024 | Alex Gibson-Hammond | |||||
| 30 June 2024 | Callum Moore | |||||
| 30 June 2024 | Eno Nto | |||||
| 30 June 2024 | ||||||
| 30 June 2024 | ||||||
| 30 June 2024 | Lewis Ridd | |||||
| 30 June 2024 | ||||||
| 30 June 2024 | ||||||
| 30 June 2024 | [28] | |||||
On 11 May, the club announced a return to Alicante for a weeks training camp and a friendly against Stockport County.[29] Two days later, Derby announced they would travel to Matlock Town for the opening pre-season fixture.[30] A third fixture was later added to the schedule, against Chesterfield.[31] On 6 June, a visit to Shrewsbury Town was also confirmed.[32] A fifth friendly was later announced, versus Barnsley.[33] On 5 July, a sixth and final fixture was added, at home against Spanish La Liga side Real Valladolid.[34]
See main article: 2024–25 EFL Championship.
On 26 June, the Championship fixtures were announced.[35]
See main article: 2024–25 FA Cup.
See main article: 2024–25 EFL Cup.
On 27 June, the draw for the first round was made, with Derby being drawn at home against Chesterfield.[36] In the second round, they were drawn away to Barrow.[37] [38]
|-|colspan="14"|Players away on loan:|}