Derby County may have one eye on emerging Huddersfield Town, Rangers transfer saga | OneFootball

Derby County know all about Cameron Ashia. However, Rangers are now interested and there may be some transfer regret right now.

Derby County have had great success with their academy over the course of the last decade and beyond, with the likes of Will Hughes, Tom Huddlestone and Jeff Hendrick all having significant success in their careers after leaving the club.

With Owen Eames and Cruz Allen the latest stars to make that jump from the development teams up to the senior squad, this is once again an exciting time to be on the books of the Rams and they will be hoping to make their name at Pride Park in the years to come.

However, there have also been a number of players that have got away from the East Midlands outfit for a variety of reasons. The likes of Liam Delap and Omari Kellyman never got the opportunity to show fans their talents before they departed for teams in the Premier League, and there will be some frustration after their respected success.

Nevertheless, there is a new name that those involved at Derby will be familiar with who is causing quite the stir in League One, and with Rangers now plotting a move, there may be some significant transfer regret coming out of DE24 right now.

Derby County may be looking enviously at Rangers as they plot Huddersfield Town transfer

Cameron Ashia has shown flashes of brilliance for Huddersfield Town throughout the 2025/26 campaign, and while he has perhaps not had as many minutes on the pitch that he would have liked, he has started to come into his own under Liam Manning.

These performances have alerted Scottish giants Rangers, as per a report from the Daily Mail's Simon Jones, while league leaders Hearts are also keeping a keen eye on his development at the Terriers as the League One campaign comes towards the run-in - Football FanCast also claim QPR, Birmingham City and Stoke City are all tracking the youngster too.

Despite the majority of his game time coming from off the bench, the 19-year-old is a player with plenty of potential, and Derby will know all about that after witnessing it first hand just a few years ago when he was part of the club's academy after impressing in a Fox Soccer Academy Showcase event, signing for the then-League One side in July 2022.

However, his stint with the Rams was incredibly short. Ashia spent just one season in the East Midlands, scoring five goals and registering five assists in 23 under-18 Premier League games as the club recovered from administration.

Despite his fine record in the final third at youth level, Ashia's deal was not renewed, and instead he was quickly snapped up by Huddersfield for their B-team after impressing on trial.

Derby County will wish that Cameron Ashia spent longer at the club - he's clearly talented

While the fulfillment of potential is never promised, there is no denying that if given the opportunity once again, Derby would have probably kept hold of the teenager and allowed him to develop under their watchful eye at Moor Farm.

The Rams' rich history of bringing through talented youngsters has continued, despite administration, and Ashia could have been one of the first players of the David Clowes era to make the step up from academy football to the first team.

Nonetheless, a move to Rangers right now, or one of the Championship clubs that have been linked, could be too early for a player who needs to be playing consistent football to aid his progression, and Huddersfield will hope that they can keep the attacking midfielder in West Yorkshire.

However, there will always be a question of 'What if?' surrounding the youngster and Derby may wish that they saw more of Ashia in black-and-white, rather than seeing him drop to League One with the Terriers - hindsight is a wonderful thing though when it's all said and done.