Derby County swerved big Birmingham City transfer bullet - Barnsley FC weren't so lucky | OneFootball

Sam Cosgrove joined the Tykes in September 2023, with the Rams missing out on the striker. It proved to be a lucky miss for Paul Warne.

In the summer of 2023, Paul Warne was preparing for a season that would prove to be record-breaking for Derby County, as he looked for the fourth League One promotion of his career.

While the first three of those had come at Rotherham United, and had all resulted in relegation (although he did leave the Millers in 2022 for the Rams), this was an incredible opportunity for the current MK Dons boss. He had an excellent squad at his disposal, and 30,000 supporters expecting a top six finish at the very least.

Derby had missed out on the play-offs in the previous season, with a 1-0 defeat away to Sheffield Wednesday on the final day of the campaign allowing Peterborough United to leapfrog the East Midlands outfit into sixth - although they were ultimately beaten by the Owls in the semi-finals.

It was an all-Sheffield final at Wembley, with Barnsley losing out to Wednesday in the capital, and they would also be looking to make their mark in 2023/24 in the third tier. They did so by beating the Rams to the signature of a striker from Birmingham City, but it was not all that it seemed.

Derby County missed out on Sam Cosgrove but Barnsley FC were the real losers

In August 2023, it was reported by Alan Nixon that there was significant interest from several League One sides in Birmingham forward Sam Cosgrove.

The 26-year-old had spent the year prior at Plymouth Argyle, scoring eight goals in 33 games as the Greens won the title, winning promotion to the Championship in the process - albeit many of his appearances came off the Pilgrims bench.

Blackpool led the race early on, but there was stiff competition from the likes of Charlton Athletic and Oxford United. Meanwhile, Derby and Barnsley were both keeping a keen eye on the situation involving the Beverley-born ace as both loan and permanent moves were discussed.

However, it was the Tykes who ultimately won the transfer battle and secured the services of Cosgrove on a two-year deal, with an option for another 12 months if the club so desired.

He joined on a free transfer, and it was a huge victory over the Rams, as the two were promotion rivals heading into the new season.

But, Barnsley would soon learn that they did not receive the Plymouth version of the striker, but instead the one that struggled to make a mark at St. Andrew's.

In his first season at Oakwell, he scored just three league goals in 32 games as his side missed out on automatic promotion, and it would somewhat symbolize the rest of his time in England.

Sam Cosgrove's Barnsley FC career fizzled out as Derby County moved on

Derby would finish second in the 2023/24 League One campaign, and they returned to the Championship after just two years in the third tier, even though their striker signings that summer - Conor Washington, Martyn Waghorn and Tyreece John-Jules - didn't exactly light it up at Pride Park.

However, the Tykes - who Cosgrove decided to sign for - would have to go through the play-offs once again, this time losing in the semi-final to Bolton Wanderers.

It was an extremely disappointing end to the campaign, and the South Yorkshire outfit were left battered and bruised once again. Cosgrove would continue to struggle at Barnsley, scoring only once in 19 league games before moving on to Stockport County for the second-half of the season.

Finally, in the summer of 2025, his time with the club was brought to an end after his contract expired. He now plays his football in the A-League for New Zealand outfit Auckland, where he has found some decent form, and it's a world away from the third tier of the EFL that he seemed to struggle in for the most part.

But for Derby, it was a blessing in disguise. While Barnsley have been left stranded in League One, the Rams are fighting at the top of the Championship and they have Premier League ambitions. Missing out on Cosgrove was short-term pain, but long-term gain.