Derby County should move for Brentford player that Thomas Frank raved about | OneFootball

Derby County should plot a move for Brentford left-back Jayden Meghoma following an injury blow to Derry Murkin

Derby County have not gotten off to the best of starts to the 2026/27 Championship season, but with just under two weeks to go until the summer window slams shut, there crucially remains time for John Eustace to address key areas of weakness.

Indeed, Derby haven't begun the new campaign as they'd have hoped, falling to a 2-1 defeat at home to Lincoln City in the League Cup, before following that up with a 2-1 away defeat to Charlton Athletic to begin the Championship season.

In that starting XI, there was an obvious gap of weakness that the Rams simply must address over the next two weeks, especially in the back line, with Matt Clarke set to miss around three months due to injury, and Derry Murkin set to miss up to four.

Wide options remain an area in major need of addressing, as Football League World's Derby fan pundit, Shaun Woodward, has backed the Rams to sign Leicester City's Stephy Mavididi.

The failed takeover of Saudi Arabian government official Turki Alalshikh will have come as a huge blow to Eustace's transfer plans, with Derby having to scrap any potential moves for ambitious targets due to this.

Loans and cheap deals will likely see out the rest of their window, as the Rams ought to plot a move for a Brentford defender who was playing European football just last season.

Derby County should plot a move for Brentford left-back Jayden Meghoma following fresh Derry Murkin injury blow

Action images

Murkin, 27, joined Derby in January 2026 from Dutch side FC Utrecht to offer competition for Callum Elder at left-back, and grabbed three assists in 12 Championship appearances for the Rams.

However, his recent injury blow will see him out until around the start of the new year, and although Charlie Taylor and Ryan Hedges have arrived on free transfers this summer, Elder's departure means the Rams are noticeably short in that area.

A loan move for Brentford's Jayden Meghoma should therefore be on the cards, with the left-back having been a regular under Danny Rohl at Rangers last year during his loan spell in Scotland.

Meghoma, 20, spent time in the youth system of Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton before joining Brentford in 2024, and has since enjoyed spells on loan with Preston North End and most recently Rangers.

When he joined the Bees, ex-Brentford boss Thomas Frank described him as 'one of the biggest left-back talents this country has'.

Jayden Meghoma was a regular fixture at Rangers last season

Action images

Meghoma has managed just four first-team appearances for Brentford so far following his arrival two years ago, before 14 appearances in the Championship for Preston in the second half of the 2024/25 campaign followed.

The left-back made 44 appearances on loan with Rangers last season, scoring once and grabbing four assists, but would see his game time fade in the second half of the season following the arrival of Belgian left-back Tuur Rommens.

However, Meghoma more often than not impressed, and with a year of regular first-team football under his belt in the Scottish Premiership, as well as European experience, he could be ready to take his game to the next level, as Derby should aim to be the beneficiaries of that.

Why Jayden Meghoma would be a good fit for Derby County

Action Images

With Derby's financial plans taking a hit following Alalshikh's failed takeover, Eustace will likely be resorting to cheap deals and loans for the remainder of the summer.

Bobby Clark's £6 million addition is the most they have been able to spend this window, with Taylor, Hedges, and Filip Bilbija joining on free transfers, as Sammie Szmodics and Alex Mowatt have both arrived for modest fees.

Whilst Craig Forsyth can operate at left-back, the 37-year-old shouldn't be playing week-in, week-out at this stage, as another left-back option that can also play as a wing-back simply must be on the cards for the Rams.

Meghoma can play on the left of the defence in either a back four or back five, and would slot into Derby's side seamlessly.

With Brentford having each of Keane Lewis-Potter, Aaron Hickey, and Rico Henry vying for a place in the side under Keith Andrews, as well as West Ham United's El Hadji Malick Diouf being pursued, there is no obvious route into the Bees side for Meghoma at this stage.

At 20, with ample first-team experience under his belt, and only on loan, he fits the bill for what Eustace will demand of his left-back, as the 46-year-old should be plotting a move ASAP.

John Eustace must look to utilise the loan market in the final weeks of the window

Action Images

The loan market tends to open up more the later in the window it gets, as whilst Derby have not yet utilised this avenue of signing players, few Championship sides have.

As Premier League and top-flight sides from around the world finish assessing their squads for the upcoming campaign, young and fringe players will be allowed to leave on loan, with Meghoma likely being one of those.

Derby, following their lack of spending power at this stage, will almost certainly be looking to utilise the loan market, just as they did last season in deals for Szmodics, Clark, Ben Brereton Diaz, David Ozoh, and Jaydon Banel.