Derby County must launch Blackburn Rovers raid if double Rams transfer fails | OneFootball

Derby should look to sign Todd Cantwell this summer if the Rams fail to secure Bobby Clark and Ben Brereton permanent deals

With the 2025/26 Championship season drawing to a close, Derby County still have an outside chance of making it into the play-offs with four games to go, as every match will be treated like a cup final until their fate is decided.

Derby have had a much more positive season this time around than last year, with the club fighting in and amongst the top six instead of the bottom three as the campaign nears its end.

John Eustace guided the Rams to safety last time around, with a goalless draw at home to Stoke City on the final day enough to secure their status in the second tier for another year, and they have not taken that opportunity for granted.

After a poor start, with just one win in their opening ten league games, Eustace has turned the club around to propel them up the table, currently sitting five points off Hull City in sixth with four games to go.

The odds are against them; it will take some scintillating form and a bit of luck to secure a place in the play-offs, though few would count them out just yet.

In any instance, heading into the summer, Eustace will be keen to make some additions to his squad, and should they fail to secure the permanent arrivals of two loan stars, the former Birmingham City and Blackburn Rovers boss should turn his attentions to Ewood Park once again to reunite with another former player.

Derby should target Blackburn's Todd Cantwell this summer if permanent additions of Bobby Clark and Ben Brereton Diaz are not made

As the season draws to a close, so do the loan spells of a few stars at Derby, with the likes of David Ozoh, Jaydon Banel, Bobby Clark, and Ben Brereton Diaz all set to return to their parent clubs upon the expiry of their spells at Pride Park.

Clark and Brereton Diaz, in particular, have shone in attack this campaign, with Eustace being vocal about his desire to sign Clark, who is on loan from Austrian side RB Salzburg, permanently.

BBC Radio Derby’s Dominic Dietrich asked Eustace about whether he would like to sign the former Liverpool man once again this summer, to which he replied: "Yeah, I certainly hope so, why not?

"We want to progress, we want to build, we want to grow the football club and, you know, we want to keep as many of our top players as we can, for sure. Bobby’s certainly one of them.

"I don’t know about that side of it [finances], that’s obviously to do with the two clubs. I think everyone connected with Derby can see how well he’s done, and he’s really part of the family and how he’d love to continue with his development."

Salzburg signed Clark for £10 million in August 2024, and their stance on the midfielder is yet to be revealed, whilst Brereton Diaz, who is on loan from Southampton, also has his future up in the air, with the Saints' plans for the Chilean international not yet clear.

Should Derby fail to get either permanent deal over the line, Eustace should look to return to Blackburn once more and lure their captain, Todd Cantwell, to Derbyshire.

The likes of Lewis Travis, Owen Beck, Danny Batth, Andreas Weimann, Dion Sanderson, and Sammie Szmodics all worked with Eustace at Ewood Park, and it wouldn't be out of character to see him return to his former club once again this summer.

Cantwell has struggled with injuries this campaign, but when on the pitch, few have a more influential impact on the game than the former Norwich City man.

Capable of playing in several positions, his versatility would see him fit into Derby's system seamlessly, whether that be in a back three or back four formation.

With five goals and three assists in 26 league games this season, it hasn't been a vintage year for Cantwell, but at 28, he is around the peak of his abilities, and with one year remaining on his deal with Blackburn and yet to sign a fresh deal, he could well be on the move this summer.

Derby makes sense as a potential destination, and should neither Clark nor Brereton Diaz see their Rams stays become permanent, the Blackburn captain would be an excellent alternative.

John Eustace targeting Todd Cantwell would be little surprise to anyone at Derby and Blackburn

Given his tendency to go after players he has previously worked with, it would come as little surprise to anyone, no less at Blackburn and Derby, if Eustace were to outline Cantwell as a potential option this summer.

The pair spent 26 games together across all competitions during their time together at Ewood Park, with Cantwell scoring twice and assisting three.

Although the midfielder didn't hit anywhere near his best form under Eustace, the Derby boss will be well aware of how to get the best out of him, which could work to both the player's and the manager's benefit.

Regardless of what division they will be playing in next season, it wouldn't be a shock to see Eustace target another former player in the summer, as Cantwell certainly fits the profile he is after, especially if deals for Clark and Brereton Diaz fall through.