5 players Derby County should sign ft USA international | OneFootball

FLW takes a look at who John Eustace should add to his Rams squad this summer

Derby County are surely gearing up for another busy summer transfer window.

John Eustace oversaw 13 new arrivals during the same period last year, which shows just how active the Rams were in reshaping the 24/25 squad who stayed up on the final day.

Now, though, after narrowly missing out on the play-offs this past season, perhaps the biggest thing for Eustace is keeping the core of his 25/26 squad together.

In regard to transfers, the head coach has previously told DerbyshireLive, "We have a squad that's been really competitive and very honest, but we want to bring in better players as well to help the group.

"We want to keep the loan players, of course we do, and we want to create something special at the club. We've certainly done that up to now."

With this in mind, FLW takes a look at five players the East Midlands outfit should look to bring - or bring back - to Pride Park in the coming months.

1 ? ? Bobby Clark

Without a doubt, Bobby Clark should be near the top of Derby’s transfer wanted list in the summer, primarily because Eustace has already admitted he wants to make the move permanent.

The most exciting quote about the situation is probably Eustace saying, "I'm pretty confident that if the opportunity was there for us to sign him [Clark] for next season, he'd like to come.

However, one possible issue would be what sort of fee RB Salzburg may want, because Rangers have also been linked with a 'cut-price deal', according to TEAMtalk.

Clark, of course, picked up Derby's Young Player of the Season Award after four goals and three assists in 45 games.

2 ? ? Ben Brereton Diaz

Again, the same thinking is involved when it comes to Southampton's Ben Brereton Diaz, who also spent this past season on loan at Derby.

Speaking about a permanent deal for the 27-year-old, Eustace claimed, “We'll have to wait and see.

“Obviously, he'll be on a lot of other clubs' radars, I'm sure, as well, going into the next season, but I think we've made him feel very at home, and we've given him a fantastic opportunity.”

The Chilean international’s eight-goal return from out-wide makes his permanent addition a fairly logical one. Even with the loan wingers Derby have had this season, which includes Jaydon Banel, the lack of depth in said areas was a big problem at times.

3 ? ? Brian De Keersmaecker

After Alan Nixon’s Patreon report, Brian De Keersmaecker looks exactly like the sort of ‘bargain’ Derby should be exploring.

The Belgian defensive midfielder scored one goal and five assists in 28 matches this season, which personally, for him, ended in January due to shoulder surgery.

Yes, De Keersmaecker has been suggested as David Ozoh's replacement, but there's even more to it. Prior to joining Oxford, the midfielder was captain of Heracles in the Eredivisie, and even won their Player of the Year Award in 24/25.

On the 26-year-old's style of play, former U's - and Rams - boss Gary Rowett said, "We [Oxford] had the chance to watch Brian play in person last season and you could see his attributes immediately. He can control a game of football with his quality in possession, and he also has an outstanding work rate off the ball."

Even still, it's clear from looking at the current squad that Derby will need to sign some midfielders this summer. Without Ozoh, only Lewis Travis, Liam Thompson and Oscar Fraulo are Derby's options at the minute.

4 ? ? Sebastian Berhalter

Arguably, Sebastian Berhalter, another defensive midfielder, is the most interesting name on this suggestive list.

Derby have already shown they are willing to look to the MLS market after the success of Patrick Agyemang, and Berhalter is also a USA international. In fact, his father, Gregg Berhalter, managed the national team before Mauricio Pochettino.

There was some gossip that the Rams were leading the race to sign him at the start of April, although it's worth taking that with a pinch of salt.

So far this season, Berhalter has seemingly been Vancouver Whitecaps' best player, scoring five goals and managing 4 assists in just 15 games.

Say if Derby added both him and the aforementioned De Keersmaecker in the upcoming transfer window, then that's surely strong enough depth to make up for Ozoh leaving.

5 ? ? Shea Lacey

19-year-old Manchester United winger Shea Lacey would be the classic Derby loan gamble, but the sort that can pay off if managed properly.

Alan Nixon, from a separate Patreon report, claimed that United are prepared to sanction a loan move for the highly-rated young talent this summer, with several Championship and League One clubs apparently monitoring the situation.

From the 14 goal contributions in 13 Premier League 2 games he managed this past season, it's clear that Lacey has outgrown academy football, and Pride Park could be the perfect place for him next season.

In truth, since getting promoted to the Championship, Derby have used a fair few Premier League loans in the last two campaigns, namely David Ozoh (twice), Harrison Armstrong, Tawanda Chirewa, Nat Phillips, Owen Beck and Jaydon Banel.

When looking at these names, everyone except perhaps Chirewa and Beck made some sort of noticeable contribution in a Rams shirt.