Derby County were lucky to avoid sealing Birmingham City transfer - Barnsley were stung instead | OneFootball

Derby County may feel they dodged a bullet by missing out on the signing of Birmingham City striker Sam Cosgrove to Barnsley in 2023.

After narrowly avoiding relegation last season, Derby County are looking ahead to another season in the Championship.

It looked as though Derby were heading for an immediate return to League One last season under former manager Paul Warne, but John Eustace saved the club from the drop after making a shock move from play-off chasing Blackburn Rovers in February.

After some eye-catching summer transfer business, the Rams look set to kick on next season under Eustace's guidance, and they will be hoping to further establish themselves back in the second tier and avoid any relegation danger.

Despite reportedly being open to selling 80% of his stake in the club as he seeks new investment, Derby owner David Clowes has not been afraid of spending big since saving the East Midlands outfit from liquidation in the summer of 2022.

Ahead of the 2023-24 season, the Rams were one of the clubs linked with a move for in-demand Birmingham City striker Sam Cosgrove, but they may be breathing a sigh of relief that they missed out on his signature to Barnsley.

Derby County were keen to strike Sam Cosgrove, Birmingham City transfer deal

After a prolific spell north of the border with Aberdeen, Cosgrove joined Birmingham City for a fee of £2 million in January 2021, but it did not work out for the striker in the Midlands as he failed to get on the scoresheet in 17 appearances for the club.

Having fallen out of favour at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park, Cosgrove had two underwhelming loan spells with Shrewsbury Town and AFC Wimbledon before joining Plymouth Argyle on a temporary basis in the summer of 2022.

Cosgrove enjoyed a hugely successful season at Home Park, scoring 12 goals and providing two assists in 40 appearances for the Pilgrims as they won the League One title with an impressive total of 101 points.

The 28-year-old popped up with plenty of crucial goals for Argyle, and the highlight of his time at the club arguably came on his debut as he netted twice in a 3-2 comeback victory at Derby in September 2022, while he also scored a stoppage-time winner against promotion rivals Sheffield Wednesday the following month.

While Plymouth decided against pursuing a move for Cosgrove following promotion, his contribution to their title success made him hot property, and Derby were one of a host of League One teams who were keen on him in the summer of 2023, along with Blackpool, Charlton Athletic, Oxford United and Barnsley.

It is unclear whether the Rams were looking to sign Cosgrove permanently or on loan, but either way, they were beaten to his signature by Barnsley, who handed him a two-year contract after his release by Birmingham, with the option to extend for a further year.

Derby County dodged a bullet with Sam Cosgrove, Barnsley transfer miss

The signing of Cosgrove on a free transfer looked to be a big coup for Barnsley, and it was a real statement of intent from the South Yorkshire side to fight off competition from a number of their League One promotion rivals to land the ex-Aberdeen man.

However, Cosgrove struggled to reach anywhere near the same heights he did at Plymouth during his first year at Oakwell as he scored just three goals in 36 appearances during the regular season, and while he did match that tally in just two play-off games, the Tykes were eliminated by Bolton Wanderers at the semi-final stage.

In contrast, after missing out on the top six in agonising fashion on the final day of the previous season, Derby suffered no such heartbreak in the 2023-24 campaign as they won automatic promotion, sealing their return to the Championship following a two-year absence.

If Cosgrove was hoping that his fortunes would improve at Barnsley under new manager Darrell Clarke, it certainly did not work out that way as he netted just one goal and provided two assists in 22 games during the first half of last season before being loaned out to Stockport County in February.

As the Hatters were in automatic promotion contention, it looked to be an exciting move for Cosgrove, but he was unable to get on the scoresheet in seven appearances for Dave Challinor's men, with only one of those coming from the start, and he was left out of the matchday squad entirely for both legs of their play-off semi-final defeat to Leyton Orient.

After returning from his spell at Edgeley Park, Cosgrove was released by Barnsley at the end of his contract, and as he begins the search for a new club, Derby will be thankful they did not win the race for him two years ago.