Derby County now have a player Patrick Vieira thought belonged in Premier League | OneFootball

Derby County have completed the permanent signing of David Ozoh from Crystal Palace after Patrick Vieira's past comments

Derby County had an excellent end to a difficult summer, as John Eustace's squad for the 2026/27 campaign is now complete, and most Rams fans will be delighted by one particular addition.

Entering deadline day, things didn't look great for Derby.

Losing all three of their opening Championship fixtures thus far, whilst having been dumped out of the League Cup by Lincoln City, meant the club occupied a place in the bottom three as things stood, and following the failed takeover of Saudi Arabian government official Turki Alalshikh, their transfer plans appeared to be largely scuppered.

That, as well as failed moves for both Ben Brereton Diaz and Hamza Choudhury, meant things looked bleak, but as the deadline edged nearer, things began to look up at Pride Park, and as it turns out, things couldn't have gone much better.

Derby County completed deals for Eiran Cashin, Mohammad Fuseini, and David Ozoh on deadline day

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Derby signed each of Eiran Cashin, Mohammad Fuseini, and David Ozoh on deadline day, closing out the summer window with a bang; to make matters better, the Rams took all three points in a 2-0 away victory over Portsmouth in the meantime.

Cashin returns to Pride Park on loan after 18 months away since his switch to Brighton and Hove Albion, Fuseini joins on loan from Belgian side Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, and Ozoh returns to Derby on a permanent basis for around £4 million after two previous successful loans.

Ozoh had been a player on the Rams' shortlist throughout the summer, and though it took a while to be completed, it's better late than never, as Eustace can look forward to having the Nigerian to select from once again.

Patrick Vieira once dubbed David Ozoh as having the attributes to be 'a Premier League player'

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Former Arsenal and France midfield general and Crystal Palace boss Patrick Vieira worked with the 21-year-old during their time together at Selhurst Park.

The newly-signed Derby midfielder made just one appearance under Vieira during their time together in South London, but that didn't stop the former Arsenal invincible from piling on the praise for the youngster.

Vieira, in an interview with Sky Sports, speaking about Ozoh, said: "He is a really young talent. He has the physical attributes that are required to play in the Premier League."

Now, the midfielder takes the step back down to the Championship to really make a name for himself, as what could prove to be Derby's game could be Crystal Palace's loss.

Why Derby County wanted to re-sign David Ozoh

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Ozoh was initially brought to Pride Park on loan in the summer of 2024 by Paul Warne upon the club's return to the Championship.

Eustace would succeed the current MK Dons boss at Derby roughly six months later; although the midfielder managed just ten league appearances due to injury, he impressed enough to sanction another loan return.

He managed 33 league appearances last season, with injury disrupting his campaign again, but when fit, Ozoh announced himself as one of the first names on the team sheet.

Eustace made bringing back his loan cohort from last campaign a priority, getting deals over the line for both Bobby Clark and Sammie Szmodics done quickly, as now, with Ozoh in the building, only Brereton Diaz and Banel haven't returned for another campaign at the club.

With Lewis Travis out for a while, the Nigerian's return will be a more than welcome one for the here and now, but still only 21, that £4 million could be a bargain in years to come for Derby if he is able to fulfil the potential Vieira believed him to be capable of reaching.

John Eustace will be relieved with the end of Derby County's transfer window

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Having missed out on Choudhury and Brereton Diaz close together, and the proposed takeover falling through, Derby's window could have had a disastrous ending.

However, Eustace was steadfast on that not being the case, as each of Cashin, Fuseini, and Ozoh arrived on deadline day to ensure the Rams ended the summer on a high.

Having gotten off the mark in the Championship with their victory away to Portsmouth on Tuesday night, Eustace will be hoping to continue that momentum moving forward, as Ozoh in particular could have a crucial role to play this campaign.