Derby County have struck gold with £4m investment for 'absolute collosus' | OneFootball

Sondre Langas has impressed many with his performances at Pride Park.

Derby County supporters will hope their side has now turned a corner after a run of one defeat in the past six games, which include back-to-back victories over Norwich City and Queens Park Rangers at Pride Park.

The Rams are hoping to make eventual strides of progress throughout John Eustace's first full season in the dugout in this part of the East Midlands after initially consolidating the club's position in the Championship after switching from Blackburn Rovers in February in rather controversial fashion.

Eustace remains highly-rated, though, due to his body of work at Pride Park, Ewood Park and a well-documented initial spell at Birmingham City that was brought to a shock end in October 2023.

Despite not previously being known for splashing the cash, as such, since completing his takeover of the club in the summer of 2022, owner David Clowes, whilst on the hunt for further external investment to aid the overall progression and future stability of his boyhood club, backed Eustace to the hill throughout the summer window, with Derby being one of the most active clubs right until the deadline of 7PM back on September 1st.

It had taken some time for the raft of incomings to aclimatise to their new surroundings, which included the statement addition of Patrick Agyemang for over £7m as the USMNT forward moved across the Atlantic from Charlotte FC.

Whilst plenty of exciting and experienced additions certainly have helped bolster a previously below-par frontline from last season when it came to overall numbers, Rams supporters have, in the past two outings, also been reminded of how pivotal Norwegian defender, Sondre Langas, could be to determining their fortunes.

Sondre Langas could have a pivotal say in the remainder of Derby County's season

Despite the aforementioned lack of goals in 2024/25, Derby were rarely on the receiving end of a heavy scoreline, particularly after Eustace's first game in charge, ironically a 4-0 defeat at Queens Park Rangers.

Just days before his dismissal at Pride Park, the 45-year-old's successor, Paul Warne, oversaw the departure of Eiran Cashin to Brighton and Hove Albion for £9m, investing just under half of said sum - £4m - to acquire Langas' services from Eliteserien outfit, Viking, on a four-and-a-half year contract.

The 6"2 man slotted in seamlessly alongside the likes of Matt Clarke and Craig Forsyth as Eustace's three-back system helped shore the Rams up defensively being a part of four clean sheets as the Rams stayed up by a point on the final day of last season.

However, Langas was left out of action until last week due to knee surgery, admitting that he played through the pain barrier to help Derby achieve their short-term aim of survival last season.

Since his return, Eustace's men have accrued maximum points and haven't been breached, leaving the two-time international to receive mass plaudits from the likes of Football League World's Derby County fan pundit, Shaun Woodward.

“It's no coincidence in the one-and-a-half games Langas has played, we've not conceded a goal, and we've accumulated six points from back-to-back home wins and clean sheets," Woodward recently told FLW.

“He really is an absolute colossus at the back. He's everything we've missed whilst he's been out. He complements Sanderson and Clarke excellently.

“He's got a bit of everything. He can play the ball out. He's big and strong in the air. He's clever, he's quick, and he's just calm on the pitch," our fan pundit added.

“Also, he's a fans’ favourite because he loves to ruffle up the centre-forwards and the wingers.

“He's just everything you want to see on the pitch, and we're very lucky to have him."

Sondre Langas could make Derby County a hefty profit in the future

At present, Langas has only made 16 appearances for the Rams, with Woodward's verdict on the defender in such a short sample size only echoing the impression he has left on supporters.

Eustace is hopeful the defender can continue to make a "big impact" for Derby over the remainder of the season, with the table still very much wide-open, meaning there is scope for the Midlands side to make a run for the play-offs should they be able to build on the successive victories achieved at Pride Park, which included his first goal contribution for the club as he assisted Carlton Morris' winner against QPR.

Despite to the lengthy contract he penned in the winter, Langas' valuation currently stands at an ESTIMATED figure of €3.5m as per Transfermarkt, which is bound to be caused by his injury absence.

If he continues to perform in such a rich vein, there's no doubt that all associated with Derby will believe Langas can become a modern-day cult hero due to his attributes and persona, or a player who will make the club an important profit in the years to come.