Derby County warned after 'disappointing' Sheffield United transfer decision - 'he's a big miss' | OneFootball

Derby County fan pundit Shaun Woodward has admitted Ben Brereton Diaz is a "big miss" after the forward chose Sheffield United over a return to Derby.

Derby County missed out on a familiar face late in the summer transfer window when Ben Brereton Diaz made the decision to return to Sheffield United.

The Chilean spent last season on loan at Pride Park from Southampton, where he established himself as a regular part of John Eustace's side.

Brereton-Diaz made 40 league appearances for the Rams, scoring seven times and laying on three assists as they finished eighth in the standings.

A second spell in the East Midlands seemed a possibility this summer, after Derby had continued to support the forward during his rehabilitation from injury.

But the 27-year-old would eventually choose a third spell at Bramall Lane, naturally leaving Rams supporters disappointed.

Derby County fan disappointed by Ben Brereton Diaz decision

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Both destinations offered a degree of familiarity, with Brereton Diaz spending a full campaign working under Eustace at Derby, while he also had an existing relationship with Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder.

The striker represented the Blades during the 2023/24 and 2024/25 campaigns, before he made the move back to South Yorkshire this summer.

Speaking to Football League World, Rams Fan Pundit Shaun Woodward admitted it was disappointing to see the attacker choose the Sheffield United move, especially after the support given to him at Pride Park.

Woodward said: "It is disappointing that Diaz chose Sheffield United over Derby, considering that we did support him through his injury rehab last season.

"But he had to make a choice, and the pull factor to Sheffield United and Chris Wilder, unfortunately, was stronger than playing for John Eustace again, which is disappointing. But that's life. We have to move on."

In total, Brereton Diaz has made 38 appearances for the Blades across his two spells, scoring 10 times and registering four assists, with seven of these contributions coming in the Premier League.

"One thing I would say with Diaz is that you know what you're getting," added Woodward. "He's accustomed to this league; he's scored goals, and he knows what it takes to be successful at this level.

"At the moment, we've got players that haven't done it at this level, or they're trying to find their way. So it's worrying because we're lacking goals and lacking creativity, and he's a hard-working player as well."

While nowhere near as productive as his best days at Blackburn, Brereton Diaz had begun to look sharp at Derby, with eight goals and three assists notched across his 41 appearances in all competitions for the Rams last term.

Importantly, he also played 3,159 minutes, more than double his 1,603 at Southampton and Sheffield United the year before.

Woodward concluded, saying: "He's a big miss, but there's not much we can do about it. We've just got to crack on, and hopefully the players that we've brought in will come good, but it is concerning nonetheless."

Brereton Diaz brought proven Championship quality to Derby County

Before joining the Rams last term, Brereton Diaz had spent a significant portion of his career in the second tier, and is more than proven in the division.

His best individual campaign came with Blackburn in 2021/22, before he contributed four goals and three assists as Sheffield United reached the play-off final in 2025.

His numbers would not skyrocket at Derby, but he was finally beginning to get back to his best after his career stalled following a poor stint at Villarreal.

He had become a regular starter at Pride Park, with his versatility making him an important asset across the frontline in Eustace's system.

The Rams scored 67 times last term on their way to an eighth-place finish, with Brereton Diaz contributing to 10 of these.

And now, if they wish to be in and around the play-offs again, they need to replace those goals - something appearing difficult in the early days of the season.

Derby County must find goals without Brereton Diaz

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Across their opening six Championship matches, the Rams have scored just five goals, with two of these coming in the 2-0 win away at Portsmouth.

Otherwise, Eustace’s side are winless, with Derby suffering three defeats without scoring in the season's early days.

Wednesday's loss to West Brom was particularly frustrating, with the visitors playing with ten men for more than an hour, while the Rams still failed to score.

A return for Brereton Diaz would have made sense. He knows the manager, the system and everything about the place, having enjoyed a much better season last time out.