You may be surprised where these 6 ex-Derby County stars are playing now | OneFootball

Derby County will be hoping to challenge for promotion from League One this season.

The Rams suffered heartbreak as they missed out on the play-offs on the final day of last season, but they were widely tipped to be among the contenders for promotion again this campaign.

It has been a slow start for Derby, but with three-time League One promotion winner Paul Warne in charge, it would be no surprise to see them improve over the course of the season.

Optimism was high among Rams supporters heading into the campaign after the club's impressive summer business, with Warne bringing in 12 new additions.

Plenty of players have come and gone at Pride Park over the years, and some of those who have departed have made some unexpected moves over the course of their career.

Johnny Russell

Striker Russell joined the Rams from Scottish side Dundee United for a fee of around £750,000 in June 2013.

Russell spent the next four-and-a-half years at Pride Park, scoring 28 goals in 162 appearances for the club, helping his side reach the Championship play-offs on two occasions.

The 33-year-old departed for Sporting Kansas City in January 2018 and he is currently the captain of the MLS side.

Matej Vydra

Striker Vydra arrived at Pride Park from Watford for a club record fee of around £8 million in August 2016.

Vydra went on to score 27 goals in 80 appearances for Derby, with 22 of those coming in the 2017-18 season as the Rams reached the Championship play-offs.

The 31-year-old's form earned him a move to Premier League side Burnley in August 2018, but Vydra struggled to nail down a regular place at Turf Moor and he joined Viktoria Plzen in his native Czech Republic last summer.

Simon Dawkins

Dawkins joined the Rams initially on loan in October 2013 from Tottenham Hotspur before making the move permanent in January 2014.

The winger scored nine goals in 73 appearances for the club, but after falling out of favour in the 2015-16 season, he made the move to MLS side San Diego Earthquakes in January 2016.

Dawkins returned to England for a brief spell with Ipswich Town in 2019 and after his release by the Tractor Boys, he spent almost three years out of football before joining Monterey Bay in March 2022.

Florian Jozefzoon

Winger Jozefzoon arrived at Pride Park from Brentford in July 2018 and he helped the Rams to the Championship play-off final under Frank Lampard in his first season at the club.

However, Jozefzoon's game time became limited after Lampard's exit and he spent much of the 2020-21 season on loan with Rotherham United before being released by Derby at the end of the campaign.

The 32-year-old had spells with Quevilly-Roeun and RKC Waalwijk before joining Turkish side Bandırmaspor this summer.

Marcus Olsson

Defender Olsson joined the Rams from Blackburn Rovers in January 2016.

Olsson went on to make 70 appearances for the club, but it was a disappointing end to his time at Pride Park as he missed the entirety of the 2018-19 season with a serious knee injury before being released that summer.

The 35-year-old returned to his native Sweden with Helsingborgs IF in 2020 and he currently plays for Halmstad.

Conor Sammon

Striker Sammon arrived at Pride Park from Wigan Athletic in August 2012.

It is fair to say Sammon's time at the club was not successful and he scored just 13 goals in 90 appearances for the Rams, spending time out on loan with Ipswich Town, Rotherham United and Sheffield United.

Sammon made the move north of the border with Hearts in June 2016 and he has remained in Scotland ever since, currently plying his trade for Alloa Athletic in Scottish League One.