Derby County: Paul Warne dodged transfer bullet where Huddersfield Town didn’t | OneFootball

Derby County previously showed an interest in Herbie Kane before he joined Huddersfield Town. He is now on loan at Plymouth Argyle.

Derby County and Huddersfield Town have endured differing fortunes in recent years.

The Rams clinched promotion from League One back to the Championship in 2024, whereas the Terriers were relegated from the second tier to the third tier that year.

Derby haven't featured in the Premier League since suffering relegation from the top flight back in 2008, when they infamously finished on just 11 points, making them the worst side in Premier League history.

In contrast, Huddersfield were playing in the top tier as recently as 2019, but have instead dropped to League One rather than returning to the top flight, even though the West Yorkshire club reached the Championship play-off final in 2022.

The Rams had a particularly difficult 2021/22 season, as they were relegated to the third tier having been deducted 21 points after entering administration.

Meanwhile, Derby and the Terriers have both had their fair share of good and bad luck in the transfer market.

Herbie Kane has endured a mixed Huddersfield Town career - Derby County could have encountered that fate

Huddersfield's Herbie Kane proved himself as one of the best midfielders in League One when he notched nine goals and five assists in 43 third-tier appearances in his final season for Barnsley.

The Terriers signed the former Tykes man in the summer of 2024 on a free transfer, after his contract with the South Yorkshire outfit expired.

When Kane moved to West Yorkshire, then Huddersfield boss Michael Duff told the club website: "Herbie is a player and person I obviously know very well, so I have real confidence and belief in his ability to make a difference for us across the entire season to come. That said, I’m really pleased he’s decided to join us here at Town this summer.

"An honest player and hard worker for definite, he also has a flair in his play that’s needed in midfield to unlock defences, pick passes and get the side moving up the pitch, and I feel that his skillset will blend really well with the players we already have available to us in that area of the team."

As alluded to by Duff in his comments, he managed the midfielder at Barnsley during the 2022/23 League One season.

Meanwhile, Huddersfield's goal at the beginning of the 2024/25 campaign was to seal an immediate return to the Championship, but they failed to do that, instead finishing 10th.

Kane's first season in Terriers colours was somewhat disappointing, as he suffered a knee ligament injury, and made just 28 league appearances.

The former Barnsley man notched three goals and five assists in that time, but there is no doubt he could have been more productive than that in the final third if he hadn't encountered such fitness issues.

Kane went on to make a further eight League One appearances for Huddersfield in the 2025/26 season, before joining Plymouth Argyle on loan in the winter transfer window.

Meanwhile, as reported by Derby World, the Rams, then managed by Paul Warne, had shown an interest in the midfielder before he joined the Terriers.

The Pride Park club will be glad that a move never materialised, though, as Kane hasn't always been a reliable asset since agreeing terms in West Yorkshire.

Herbie Kane developments are just one example of Huddersfield Town instability in League One

As aforementioned, Huddersfield began the 2024/25 campaign with intentions of returning to the Championship, but instead failed to land a League One play-off spot.

Meanwhile, Kane's fitness issues in his first season with the Terriers, and his subsequent loan move in his second campaign highlight just some of the instability the West Yorkshire outfit have encountered since plying their trade in the third tier.

For instance, Duff was sacked in March 2025, and the rest of that season was overseen by Jonathan Worthington on an interim basis.

Huddersfield then sacked Lee Grant in January 2026, following a 3-1 defeat to Burton Albion, even though they were in the play-offs at the time.

Grant's successor, Liam Manning, was then given compassionate leave the following March amid sad personal circumstances.

While the Terriers have struggled to find the right formula in League One, Derby will be glad that they didn't sign Kane, who hasn't always been able to produce his best football in West Yorkshire.