Derby County casting eyes over ex-Blackburn Rovers player | OneFootball

Ryan Hedges is currently a free agent following his exit from Blackburn Rovers

Derby County will be aiming to earn another top eight finish in the league next season.

The Rams finished eighth under John Eustace in his first full campaign as head coach, which saw them narrowly miss out on a play-off place by just four points.

However, the play-offs are expanding to include two more teams from next season, meaning another eighth place result will be enough to fight for promotion to the Premier League.

Derby have already made a big splash in the summer transfer market, completing a deal to sign Bobby Clark on a permanent basis from RB Salzburg after he enjoyed a successful loan spell at Pride Park in the previous campaign.

The club have also confirmed the signing of Charlie Taylor following his exit from Southampton, but more additions are still likely to follow.

Derby have until 1 September to complete any remaining transfer business before the market shuts for the remainder of the calendar year.

Blackburn Rovers favourite trains at Derby

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It has been reported by the Lancashire Telegraph that Ryan Hedges is currently training with Eustace’s first team squad.

The 31-year-old is currently a free agent following his exit from Blackburn Rovers, where he previously worked with the Derby boss.

He made 24 appearances in the Championship last season, including 18 starts, contributing one goal and two assists as Rovers finished 20th in the table.

However, it’s believed that he is simply training with the team to maintain his fitness levels for the time being, and that no contract offer is currently on the table.

But it has not been ruled out that his stay with the Rams could be made permanent, with any possible return to Blackburn now understood to be out of the picture.

How Blackburn Rovers fans feel about Ryan Hedges’ exit

Blackburn supporters have joked that even Ewood Park could end up joining Derby at this stage, with Lewis Travis, Eustace and now Hedges all ending up with the club over the last 18 months.

Some fans are conflicted on his departure, as they feel he could still be quite useful as part of Tony Mowbray’s squad.

Blackburn have been criticised for not doing more to try and keep Hedges, given he could’ve been a regular in the team next season.

So far this summer, Blackburn have confirmed just one signing, completing a permanent move for Moussa Baradji after his loan stint from last season.

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Ryan Hedges could be a useful squad option for Derby

It remains to be seen whether Derby will look to sign Hedges or not, and he may end up just using them to maintain his fitness before going elsewhere.

However, he could be a useful option for Eustace next season, even if he wouldn’t exactly be one of the first names on the team sheet.

The 46-year-old knows what to expect from Hedges from his time as Blackburn boss, so there is no better person to judge whether he could be worth keeping around.

It will be important for the Rams to have a deep squad if they’re to push for promotion, and having an experienced and versatile player like Hedges could be what they need in that respect.