The £6m Derby County star who must face Rangers and West Ham transfer regret | OneFootball

Bobby Clark may be regretting his decision to return to Derby County this summer, having also been on the radar of Rangers and West Ham United.

It is fair to say it has been a disappointing start to the season for Derby County in the Championship.

After missing out on the play-off places on the final day of last season, Derby would have been hoping to mount another promotion push this campaign, but John Eustace's side currently find themselves at the wrong end of the table.

John Eustace under increasing pressure at Derby County

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Derby were widely expected to be among the play-off contenders once again this season, but it has certainly not worked out that way so far.

The Rams have picked up just four points from their first seven league games, and they suffered their third consecutive defeat as they were beaten 2-1 by Birmingham City at Pride Park on Saturday, with goals from Carlos Vicente and Paik Seung-ho turning the game around for the Blues after Bobby Clark had put the hosts ahead.

With Derby languishing in the relegation zone, pressure is building on Eustace as an increasing number of supporters call for him to be sacked, and the crucial clash against bottom side Burnley at Turf Moor this weekend could be make-or-break for the 50-year-old's future.

Having been on an upward trajectory for much of Eustace's tenure, the Rams' poor start to the season is something of a surprise, and summer signing Clark may be especially alarmed by the situation.

Derby County landed Bobby Clark transfer coup despite Rangers, West Ham United threat

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Clark was one of three players to return to Derby this summer after spending last season on loan at Pride Park, along with David Ozoh and Sammie Szmodics.

While the Rams would have been delighted to bring the trio back, the permanent addition of Clark in particular was a big statement of intent from the club, having fought off strong competition to land his signature.

Clark initially joined Derby on loan from Austrian side Red Bull Salzburg last summer, and he scored four goals and provided four assists in 45 appearances last season to help his side to an eighth-placed finish in the Championship.

It seems that Clark's impressive performances during his temporary stint with the Rams did not go unnoticed, with Scottish giants Rangers and newly-relegated West Ham United said to have been among his admirers during the summer transfer window.

Rams supporters could have been forgiven for assuming there was little chance of Clark returning as his list of suitors increased, but the club were able to re-sign the 21-year-old in June for a fee in the region of £6 million.

Clark has become a firm fan favourite at Derby over the past year, so he was welcomed back with open arms by supporters, but he may now be feeling some regret about the move.

Bobby Clark may live to regret Derby County return after Rangers, West Ham United interest

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After last season's final day heartbreak, Clark would have been hoping to inspire Derby to another play-off challenge this time around.

However, with their poor start to the season showing no sign of ending, it looks highly unlikely that the Rams will be in the promotion mix, and while they should have far too much quality to be involved in a relegation battle, they will be keen to pull clear of the bottom three as soon as possible.

It is unclear exactly how strong Rangers and West Ham's interest in Clark was this summer, but as Derby continue to struggle to get their season going, the midfielder may be wishing he had ended up at Ibrox or the London Stadium.

It has not all been plain sailing for Rangers this season, and new manager Derek McInnes came in for plenty of criticism after his side failed to qualify for the Conference League following a humiliating defeat by Czech outfit Jablonec last month.

However, that appears to have been a turning point for McInnes, as the Gers have now won their last five games in all competitions, including a 3-0 win over Old Firm rivals Celtic in the Scottish League Cup on Sunday, and they look capable of challenging for multiple domestic trophies this season, something Clark could have been part of had he made the switch to Glasgow.

West Ham also made an underwhelming start to the season, but Nuno Espírito Santo's side now sit top of the Championship after securing their fourth consecutive victory with a 6-0 hammering of Wrexham on Friday night, and, on current evidence, it looks as though the Hammers could be difficult to stop.

It is incredibly early in the season, so Clark will still be confident that his decision to join the Rams on a full-time basis will be vindicated, but as things stand, it seems that Rangers or West Ham