John Eustace can ease Derby County, Burnley transfer blow with Southampton raid | OneFootball

Derby County should make a move to sign Southampton winger to replace Jaydon Banel, who has returned to Burnley.

Derby County missed out on the top six and the play-off places on the final day of last season, but the Rams will believe that a strong summer transfer window will keep them firmly in the race for promotion next season.

Having been promoted to the second-tier in the 2023/24 campaign, Derby were struggling quite badly in the 2024/25 season until the appointment of former player John Eustace.

Eustace, who had done impressive work with both Birmingham City and then Blackburn Rovers, kept Derby up before then launching a promotion challenge after a summer of upheaval in 2025.

An excellent end to the season saw them narrowly miss out on the final day, with eventually promoted Hull City pip them to sixth spot – but it was a positive campaign and one in which Derby will believe they can build upon in the 2026/27 season.

They have been dealt an early blow this summer with reports that Jaydon Banel will not be able to return with Burnley set to keep him for their own plans next season – but Eustace and Derby can get over that blow with the pursuit of Southampton winger Samuel Edozie.

Jaydon Banel can be replaced by Samuel Edozie at Derby

In the January transfer window, Derby brought in former Netherlands youth international Jaydon Banel on loan until the end of the season – and he was excellent at Pride Park.

Having only made one appearance in the Premier League for The Clarets after moving to Turf Moor from Ajax last summer, Banel shone in the second-half of the Championship campaign.

Having eased his way into the starting eleven after earning Eustace’s trust in the opening couple of months after his signing, Banel started Derby’s last seven games of the campaign as they marched towards the top six, with three goals in that time.

A pragmatic coach, Eustace can often be accused of being a little too defensive and reactive at times but Banel was able to bring in an element of directness out-wide to help County’s attacking prowess.

A more traditional winger with excellent crossing, Banel provided a different dimension to Derby when he played at the back end of last season and that is something they could replace with Edozie.

Edozie, who has been linked with Derby in the past, possesses similar attributes in terms of his speed and trickery down the flank – and Derby will believe they can fine tune his qualities to turn him into a consistent performer at Championship level.

Samuel Edozie needs game time and suits Derby

Capable of playing both a back three and a four, Eustace needs versatility for his wide players and Edozie would be able to provide that at both wing-back and on the wing.

The Manchester City academy graduate tried to force through a move to Belgium last summer and didn’t make the Southampton squad until February last season.

Again remaining on the periphery of things, Edozie’s career at St Mary’s has stalled, despite some improved performances towards the end of the campaign.

The former Anderlecht loanee enjoyed a similarly high rate of successful crosses in the second-tier last year as to Banel, and matches him, if not surpasses him, for his speed and technical ability on the ball.

Edozie is in need of regular game time to try and fine tune and work out his own game – but it is a game that could be well built for the transitional nature of a Eustace-coached side.

Tonda Eckert and Southampton play a more deliberate and possession-based style, often against deep defences, and so the skills of Edozie may not flourish in that setup.

At Derby, though, Eustace would be able to recreate the best of what they had with Banel and, hopefully, get even more out of Edozie in the final third given that he provided just one direct goal involvement fewer than Banel, despite playing nearly 300 minutes less than the Dutchman.

Derby won’t want to take too many chances as they try to launch and sustain themselves as a promotion challenger but this is one that would not only soften the blow of losing Banel, but also provide a higher ceiling for their overall game down the left.