Derby County set to seal huge John Eustace boost after Crystal Palace transfer decision | OneFootball

David Ozoh is set to return to Pride Park once more this summer on a permanent deal from Crystal Palace

Derby County are advancing talks to bring back their former loanee, David Ozoh, from Crystal Palace permanently.

The Rams haven't gotten off the blocks so far in the Championship this season, picking up one point from three games against sides they'd hope to be seeing better results against on paper.

Derby finished eighth in John Eustace's first full campaign in charge at Pride Park last season and actually spent parts of the final day in the play-offs. Maintaining that level would have been the goal this year, and while it's still early days, they're quite a way off it.

One of the main reasons for that is the number of players from that squad who are either out injured or returned to their parent clubs after successful loan spells, but it looks like the Derby squad is set to be bolstered by one of those former loanees.

Derby County closing in on David Ozoh deal

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According to Pete O'Rourke, Ozoh is the subject of talks between Derby and Crystal Palace for the third successive summer. Although this time, the 21-year-old could be signed permanently by the Rams.

The Palace academy graduate battled serious injury issues during his first year at Pride Park in the 2024/25 campaign. Hamstring, quad and thigh injuries limited him to just 10 league appearances, but there was enough in his performances to warrant a second loan.

Ozoh remained fit for the majority of last season and was finally able to showcase his talents properly at Championship level. The 21-year-old did miss a couple of months with another thigh injury, but upon his return in January, he was a mainstay in the squad during Derby's play-off surge.

The Palace loanee's pass percentage and long ball percentage landed him inside the top 4% of defensive midfielders in the Championship last season, and a return to the Rams will be much anticipated amongst supporters.

David Ozoh deal comes in at a brilliant time for Derby County following Lewis Travis injury

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Not only will the news of a possible permanent Ozoh arrival spark joy amongst the Derby fans, but midfield cover is arguably needed at the moment, given the injury to captain Lewis Travis.

The 28-year-old went in for a scan on an injury on Monday, with it unknown how long he's set to be out for. If it's anything serious, a new midfielder would definitely be needed, especially with Bobby Clark having to deputise in the 10 if Sammie Szmodics gets injured.

Travis and Ozoh were the engine room partnership for the majority of the games during the run-in, where the Rams pushed towards a place in the play-offs.

If the Palace man comes in, he'll be set to partner fellow new arrival Alex Mowatt in the middle, for the time being, but when everyone is fully fit, it would give John Eustace a decent selection headache to have.

David Ozoh's arrival helps the continuation of midfield strength from last season at Derby County

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Derby arguably were the side who played the loan market the best in the Championship last season.

The likes of Ozoh, Clark, and Ben Brereton Diaz performed well for John Eustace all year, while Szmodics and Jaydon Banel helped maintain a strong attack in the second half of the campaign.

Losing them at the end of the season was a blow, but at least the Rams have been able to bring back three of those five, and Ozoh, like Clark, has plenty of room to grow and increase his value at the club.

Key injuries remain to the likes of Patrick Agyemang and Matt Clarke, which means that the core of the Derby squad is still a little fractured. But with more and more of last season's squad filtering back into the club, it'll give more hope that this slow start can be turned around.

The Rams' midfield was one of the stronger cores last season, so maintaining that and turning loans into permanent moves will be a positive in what's been a stop/start window at Pride Park.