John Eustace may have new secret weapon at Derby County - he cost £0 | OneFootball

Derby County have signed German Filip Bilbija on a free transfer following his release from Paderborn this summer

Derby County's summer business is well and truly ramping up, as head coach John Eustace sets his sights on another play-off finish with the Rams next campaign, with an interesting addition having been confirmed.

Having just narrowly missed out on a place in the top six last season, Derby will be hoping to go one better next year and finally break their way into the Championship play-offs.

The Rams have already made the addition of Bobby Clark, joining from Austrian side RB Salzburg for around £6 million, and experienced defender Charlie Taylor following his release from Southampton this summer.

The club are in talks to bring back Sammie Szmodics to Pride Park over the coming weeks, but reportedly face competition from Birmingham City, as Eustace continues to prioritise attacking areas.

Now, following both Clark and Taylor through the door is a player who grabbed 17 goal contributions, starring for a team who earned promotion to the top flight of German football last season, with this addition one of the most interesting in the entire EFL so far.

Derby County have signed Filip Bilbija on a free transfer following his release from Paderborn

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Derby's summer business is beginning to heat up, as Eustace has once again dived into the free agent market with a move for Filip Bilbija.

The 26-year-old, who has spent his entire professional career in Germany before his switch to Pride Park, has penned a three-year deal with the Rams, helping to reinforce their attacking options.

Bilbija came through the youth ranks at FC Ingolstadt, where he would score 16 and assist seven in 96 appearances before spells with Hamburg and, most recently, Paderborn.

With Hamburg, he found his limits increasingly limited by former Hull City boss Tim Walter, making just 13 appearances at the Volksparkstadion, and subsequently headed to Paderborn after just one year.

In three years with Paderborn, Bilbija announced himself as one of the 2. Bundesliga's finest attackers, scoring 35 and assisting 17 in 98 appearances across all competitions.

With 17 goals across all competitions alone just last season, Bilbija enjoyed his most prolific season to date, and will be heading to Pride Park full of confidence.

In his final appearance for the club, the 26-year-old scored the equaliser at home to Wolfsburg in the promotion/relegation play-off match, which Paderborn would go on to eventually win 2-1.

With 15 goals from just 29 shots on target last season, Bilbija has demonstrated an excellent level of clinicalness in front of goal, and with 34 tackles and 61 defensive contributions, as per FotMob, he has proven to be just as good off the ball as he is on it.

Capable of playing anywhere behind the striker, the German provides Eustace an excellent alternative to the likes of Clark, Patrick Agyemang, Rhian Brewster, and the potentially incoming Szmodics.

Having been linked with fellow German top-flight side Werder Bremen, Bilbija has chosen Derby as his next destination, and if he is able to translate his performances and numbers over to English football, the Rams could have potentially pulled off the coup of the window.

John Eustace could have pulled off a masterstroke with £0 Filip Bilbija capture at Derby County

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With Bilbija arriving at Pride Park as something of an unknown quantity on British shores, Rams supporters may get the feeling that they could well have hit the jackpot with his addition.

Birmingham signed Marvin Ducksch from Werder Bremen last summer after the big German forward's prolific record in the 2. Bundesliga, and whilst he didn't quite tear the Championship up as hoped in his first year at the club, he still proved to be a useful option up top at St Andrew's.

On a free transfer, the German brings few financial risks, and should he be able to replicate his form in England as he proved capable of performing in Germany, Derby may have just pulled off the signing of the summer.