The 4 Derby County players we can see leaving in January | OneFootball

The Rams need to free up some space in their squad to bring in any new faces in the next transfer window.

Derby County's summer transfer window was one that focused more on those coming in to Pride Park over those leaving.

The Rams made 10 signings, while they let go of just three players - with Ben Radcliffe, Darren Robinson and Tyrese Fornah all heading out on loan.

It has meant that Derby have filled their 25-player quota for the squad, stopping them from signing any free agents since the transfer window closed. This has given Paul Warne a selection headache at times, as his players fight for a place in the starting XI.

However, with the season now well underway, heads will start turning towards the January transfer window, with some of the current roster at Pride Park perhaps looking at moving away to give themselves more game-time.

Football League World has taken a look at four Derby players who could move on at the start of 2025.

Ben Radcliffe

Radcliffe joined Gateshead on loan in the summer, and has enjoyed a good start to life in the National League with the Heed.

The defender grabbed his first goal for the club against Boston United in just his fourth appearance, before making it two in two, heading in to secure a 3-1 victory away to Southend United at the end of September.

With the 21-year-old's deal due to expire in January, a move up a division to League Two could be the perfect way to show Warne that he will be ready for a place in the first-team for the 2025/26 campaign.

The Rams have had success in the past with their youngsters going to Gateshead, with Dajaune Brown spending the latter half of last season on loan in the north-east, winning the FA Trophy before returning to the Rams, and if Radcliffe continues his fine form there, it could prove that he is ready for a more difficult challenge.

Dajaune Brown

The second Derby youngster on the list, Brown has been involved in the first-team in the opening months of the campaign, but is struggling for minutes in the Championship.

It seemed likely that the 19-year-old would leave the club on loan in the summer. However, after training with the senior squad throughout pre-season, Warne has given him the opportunity to impress.

It is hard to tell where he currently stands in the pecking order, but Brown is definitely still in the plans going forward, but he must decide if he values watching on from the bench over minutes on the pitch in a lower division.

He scored six goals for Gateshead in the National League, and netted the winning penalty in the FA Trophy final, and will be hoping that if he does get loaned out, it will be in either League One or League Two, as he does have the quality for those levels.

However, Warne will want to bring in another striker before he decides to let Brown go.

Conor Washington

Conor Washington has struggled for a place in the matchday squad in the 2024/25 campaign so far, and has even featured for the U21s on weekends when he has not found a way onto the bench for the senior squad.

After making 19 appearances in an injury-hit first season at Pride Park, he may have hoped to make a bigger impact this year, but the signing of Jerry Yates alongside the rise of Brown has seen him left in the shadows, watching on from the stands.

At 32, his career is closer to its end than its beginning, and he will only want to extend that by playing consistently at a lower level where he is perhaps guaranteed more minutes.

An ankle injury picked up on international duty last November slowed the momentum that he had in a Derby shirt, and he never added to the three goals that he scored before that, and saw out the season in-and-out of the starting XI.

A permanent move to League One could be the perfect way for the former Rotherham United striker to get back firing and playing regularly.

Tom Barkhuizen

Tom Barkhuizen is another of Derby's promotion heroes who has struggled to win his place back in the team this season, and an injury in the warm-up ahead of the Rams' 1-0 win over Cardiff City has seen his involvement further limited.

The additions of Kayden Jackson, Marcus Harness and Tawanda Chirewa has seen his position face more competition than ever, and with Corey Blackett-Taylor scoring his first goal in black-and-white, it seems likely that the 31-year-old will find it even harder to earn his place back in the team.

Similar to Washington, a move down to League One or League Two could be the perfect opportunity for the winger to see his career out, with a return to Blackpool a potentially fantastic option to get back playing for a team who will compete in the top half of the third tier.

Barkhuizen has enjoyed success in the past at Derby, but it does look as though his time at Pride Park is slowly coming to an end, and a move in January would suit both parties as the Rams look to free up another space in their squad.