Aston Villa forward & out of favour winger can give Derby County the dream start to January | OneFootball

One in, one out, in the left-sided attacker position could make for a great opening to Derby County's transfer window

Derby County's first half of the 2025-26 season was topsy-turvy, with inconsistent form sandwiching a five-match league winning streak.

The focus on bringing in John Eustace towards the back end of their first season back in the Championship was to hopefully have fewer years battling relegation and move towards a top-six position, which Eustace had with the likes of Blackburn Rovers and Birmingham City in the past.

And it's been so far, so good for the Rams, sitting comfortably in mid-table, going into the January transfer window.

However, with how tight the middle pack in the second tier is this year, it's important for every side not to rest on its laurels and look to improve in the January window to avoid slipping into an unwanted relegation battle, or perhaps even look at gatecrashing the play-off race come May.

Derby were busy in the summer, and there are expectations of them being proactive once more in the January window.

A big loan signing to replace an existing fringe player could be the best way to kick off 2026 at Pride Park though - let's take a look.

Corey Blackett-Taylor to depart Derby County

It's not really worked out for Corey Blackett-Taylor at Derby, with it coming up to two years now since he first signed for the club on loan from Charlton Athletic.

At that time, both the Rams and the Addicks were in League One, and the wideman was brought in to give Paul Warne's side a massive boost towards their promotion goals, as he'd scored eight and assisted six in 25 games already that year.

Blackett-Taylor failed to make an impact at Pride Park in the initial loan spell, and that continued into his first full season at the club last term, which was curtailed by a hamstring injury in January.

Starting from the off and providing an assist on the opening day of the current campaign, it seemed that the 28-year-old could have a route back into the side under John Eustace. However, a hamstring injury struck again, and he's been a fringe player since his return.

With Derby starting to dream again of play-off finishes, it's arguable that the squad may have outgrown Blackett-Taylor already, and the wideman, who is an established talent at League One level, could be being eyed up by some lower-end Championship, or maybe even upper-end third-tier sides in January.

If the interest does come, those at Pride Park may be open to listening to offers. It would allow for some money to enter the club, wages to be freed up, and a spot in the frontline to be replaced by someone who may suit what John Eustace wants to do now a lot better.

Louie Barry to sign on loan from Aston Villa

The Louie Barry loan saga is set to have its third volume this January, as the expectations are that interest will be high once more for the Aston Villa attacker.

It's been a year now since Barry tore up League One with Stockport County, scoring 15 times in 23 games and forcing his Premier League parent club to recall and re-loan him out to the second tier this time last season.

Unfortunately, knee injuries at both Hull City and Sheffield United have restricted him to just 13 games throughout the entirety of 2025 in the Championship.

The 22-year-old needs a big break, and with him set to be once again recalled by Aston Villa midway through the campaign, he'll be eager to hit the ground running wherever he lands.

Derby have several fluid attacking players who can play almost every position along the frontline, and Barry would add to that, albeit with a preference to operate on the left side.

And with teams in the running for an outside shot in the play-offs looking for a game-changer in the second half of the season to help realise their aspirations, Barry can be just that if Derby can keep him fit.