Derby County could be laughing at Birmingham City for one clear reason | OneFootball

Derby County beat Birmingham City to the signature of Mohamed Fuseini in the final hours of the transfer window

Derby County had a busy transfer window as John Eustace looked to strengthen his first team squad.

The Rams were working on deals right up until the final hours of the summer market, bringing in a total of nine players before 11pm on Tuesday night.

This included a permanent deal for Bobby Clark, who spent last season on loan at Pride Park, where he cemented himself as a key part of the first team squad.

Eustace’s side finished eighth in the table in 2025/26, and will be aiming to repeat that result again this year, as it will qualify them for the new, expanded play-off format.

Derby County signings

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Clark’s permanent move was sealed early in the summer, with permanent moves for David Ozoh and Alex Mowatt following in the later months.

Henrik Meister, Eiran Cashin and Mohammed Fuseini joined on loan, with Cashin returning to the club from Brighton.

Meanwhile, Filip Bilbija, Charlie Taylor and Ryan Hedges all signed as free agents, in what was a busy few months for the club.

The deal to sign Fuseini came down to the very final few hours of the market, with Derby fending off their Championship rivals Birmingham City for his signature.

Birmingham’s loss can be Derby’s gain

Birmingham looked to have won the race to Fuseini’s signature, but they ultimately pulled out of the deal and it allowed the Rams to swoop in.

Eustace had been seeking reinforcements in attack through the summer, especially with Patrick Agyemang out with a long-term injury.

Losing someone of that importance left the team looking a little light, but now the 24-year-old has come in from Belgian side Union Saint-Gillioise.

The forward has scored 10 and assisted two from 56 appearances in the Belgian Pro League, and has earned experience playing in both the Europa and Champions League.

Having arrived on loan, this could prove quite a shrewd signing, and Birmingham will be left fuming if he can consistently contribute in the final third for Derby.

What Mohamed Fuseini can bring to Derby

Derby now have a strong core of attacking options to choose from, with the likes of Sammie Szmodics, Carlton Morris, Lars- Jorgen Salvesen and Fuseini all capable of leading the line.

Clark, Szmodics, Rhian Brewster and Fuseini are all also able to play behind the striker, giving Eustace a lot of different choices for different opponents.

The Ghanaian had a combined expected goals and expected assists (xG+xA) in the Belgian Pro League last season of 0.46, while taking 2.47 shots and creating 1.70 chances per 90 (all stats from Fotmob).

The 24-year-old is also solid in the air, winning 0.93 aerial duels per 90 at a rate of 30 per cent, and he also took an impressive 5.88 touches in the opposition area each game, meaning he is easily found in the box.

While it’s possible that he may start life at Derby as an impact player off the bench, there’s certainly the potential there for him to become an important player while Agyemang remains on the sidelines.

And the forward is also capable of playing out wide, where options are a bit more limited in Eustace’s side, and this versatility means he is likely to receive ample game time.

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Derby v Birmingham clash will be a chance for Mohamed Fuseini

Fuseini will be hoping to make his debut for Derby as early as 5 September when the team travels to the London Stadium to take on West Ham.

But the fixture that will most stand out to him on the calendar right now is the home clash against Birmingham just a week later.

A move to St. Andrew’s seemed to be on the cards before the deal collapsed, and the fixture will be a chance to show what the Blues missed out on.

Derby will be hoping that a good performance from the forward could leave them with the last laugh against a potential promotion rival for this season.