Football League World
·6 February 2026
How much Derby County paid Blackburn Rovers for John Eustace revealed

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Yahoo sportsFootball League World
·6 February 2026

John Eustace is nearing his one-year anniversary as Derby County boss, and the fee that was spent on him has been revealed.
In February 2025, John Eustace made the decision to leave Blackburn Rovers to join Derby County, despite the two clubs sitting at polar opposite ends of the Championship table, with the knowledge that he was entering a relegation battle.
The decision to leave Ewood Park was not met with a great reception by those associated with the Lancashire outfit. Fans were not pleased with Eustace, while there was also fury aimed at those at the top of the club after a disappointing January transfer window had left the 46-year-old wanting a way out.
In his playing days, the former Birmingham City boss spent time with the Rams, and retired following a knee injury in the 2014/15 campaign. There was unfinished business at Pride Park, and while the first few months were going to be tough, eventually the move paid off.
Derby are now fighting for a play-off place while Blackburn are involved in the relegation scrap at the bottom of the Championship and the fee that the East Midlands outfit paid for their head coach is arguably the best they've paid in a number of years.
Following Paul Warne's dismissal, the Rams' hierarchy made it clear that they wanted to bring Eustace to the club to help save them from relegation back to League One and there were questions asked when they won at the negotiating table.

Now, The Telegraph have revealed that Derby forked out just £500k for their head coach in February 2025, with that compensation fee ultimately proving to be one of the best decisions made by those in DE24 in the 21st century.
Eustace has also explained the reasoning behind his move, telling John Percy: "It was obviously questioned, leaving when I did, but I felt it was the right thing to do at the time.
"Derby is a massive club with a huge history and I don’t think people outside the city realise that. The reason I came here was to help rebuild it, to stabilise it, then one day push to get into the Premier League. We might be a bit ahead of schedule at the moment."
Derby are now on a four-match unbeaten run, and they have lost just two of their last 11 league games, with an incredible 5-0 away victory over Bristol City seeing them enter the play-offs on Friday evening. However, Wrexham's win over Sheffield Wednesday at the weekend saw them move back into the top six.

Nonetheless, this time last year, the Rams were in an incredible amount of danger. They had lost seven successive Championship games and the threat of relegation was incredibly strong.
While Eustace had to wait for his first taste of success with Derby, six wins in 11 matches at the end of 2024/25 saw the East Midlands outfit avoid relegation and they have gone from strength to strength since.
With 16 games to go, the Rams have a serious chance of finishing in the play-offs and winning promotion back to the Premier League for the first time since 2008, but supporters will just be glad to see stability return to Pride Park.








































