What John Eustace has said about Derby County signing Birmingham City player | OneFootball

John Eustace has spoken out about whether Derby County will look to sign on-loan Birmingham City defender Dion Sanderson permanently.

Derby County head coach John Eustace has refused to be drawn on the possibility of the club signing on-loan Birmingham City defender Dion Sanderson permanently.

Eustace first worked with Sanderson during his time as a coach at Queens Park Rangers before signing him for Birmingham on two occasions, firstly on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers in the summer of 2022 before bringing him back to St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park on a permanent basis the following year for a fee of £2 million.

After Sanderson fell out of favour last season following the Blues' relegation to League One, he linked up with Eustace for a third time as he joined Blackburn Rovers on loan in January, but their reunion only lasted a matter of weeks as the 45-year-old soon departed Ewood Park to take over at Pride Park.

With Sanderson still deemed surplus to requirements at Birmingham after his return from his temporary spell in Lancashire, Eustace then signed him for a fourth time at Derby this summer, and he has started 14 of his side's 15 games in all competitions so far this season since arriving on a season-long loan.

It was claimed in late August that the Rams were planning to sign Sanderson permanently for £500,000 as the move would have freed up an extra loan spot in Eustace's squad, as well as securing the 25-year-old's future, but a deal did not materialise before the end of the summer transfer window.

John Eustace breaks silence on potential Dion Sanderson, Derby County permanent deal

Eustace is no stranger to reuniting with those he knows and trusts, and Sanderson was one of five players to join Derby this summer having worked with him at one of his previous clubs, along with Danny Batth, Owen Beck, Lewis Travis and Andreas Weimann.

Sanderson put in another strong performance as the Rams secured their third consecutive victory with a 3-1 win over Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Saturday, and Eustace was full of praise for the on-loan Birmingham man after the game.

"If the player has the trust of the manager and knows how to get the best out of him, I think that's all players want," Eustace told Derbyshire Live.

"I've been very honest with Dion over the years in my views on him. I took him to Blackburn last year, and unfortunately, we were doing very well, and he couldn't get into the team.

"But he was part of the squad there, played a few games. But you know where we were at the start of the season.

"We knew Sonny (Langas) was always going to come back a little bit late and we didn't really have cover in that area.

"To get Dion in when we did was great work from the recruitment team and we were very fortunate that he came in.

"Obviously, I was delighted with that, and I think his performances are getting better and better. We've got a real top player with us."

In light of his recent performances, Eustace was quizzed about the possibility of a permanent deal for Sanderson, but the Rams head coach remained tight-lipped about that prospect.

"I think we'll have to wait and see on that," Eustace said.

"Let's just keep him going.

"Let's just hope they continue."

Eustace may have been giving little away about whether Derby will look to sign Sanderson permanently, but considering the pair's close relationship and his glowing comments about the defender, it seems almost certain that he will be keen to strike a deal with Birmingham.

Sanderson is under contract with the Blues until the summer of 2027, but he is not part of manager Chris Davies' plans at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park, and the Midlands outfit would likely be willing to offload him for a suitable fee.

Given that Sanderson's stock has risen after his performances so far this season, Birmingham may demand more than the £500,000 asking price that was rumoured in the summer, but even if his valuation does increase slightly, a deal should still be more than achievable for the Rams.