What Bobby Clark has said about his Derby County situation as £6m Celtic switch mooted | OneFootball

Bobby Clark has opened up on his situation at Derby County amid Celtic transfer speculation

Derby County midfielder Bobby Clark has opened up on his situation at the club amid interest from Celtic.

The Rams suffered a poor start to the 2025/26 campaign, winning just one of their opening 10 league matches, which left them positioned towards the bottom of the table.

John Eustace’s side began to turn things around in late October however, bettering fellow strugglers Norwich 1-0 before going on a run of five successive victories.

This boosted their status in the league table tremendously, going from potential relegation candidates to play-off contenders in a matter of weeks.

One of Derby’s best players during that time has been Bobby Clark, who joined the club on loan during the summer and has come on leaps and bounds at Pride Park as of late.

Bobby Clark opens up on Derby County situation amid Celtic links

After a season in Austria with RB Salzburg, former Liverpool prospect Clark moved to Pride Park on loan.

Despite initial struggles, he has since become a vital part of Eustace’s system, starting their last seven matches.

It was reported earlier in the season that Clark was set to join Celtic for £6m on a permanent deal in January, ending his time with Derby prematurely. Talk on that front has since gone quiet, with the midfielder now opening up on his status with the Rams.

“I think it was always going to be a difficult start,” stated Clark to BBC Sport Derby. “With so many new players, it’s not going to click straight away.

“But now the results are going our way most of the time now, we are performing well.

When queried on whether he would like to extend his stay with Derby after this season, the former Liverpool man didn’t give too much away.

“I’m really enjoying it here,” replied Clark. “I love the fans, I love being back in the UK.

“I’m enjoying my football.”

Clark made 14 appearances for Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp and was part of the youthful side that famously beat Chelsea to win the EFL Cup.

Salzburg spent £10m to acquire his services in 2024, but he would only make 25 appearances for the Austrian outfit before being allowed to go out on loan.

Derby County will hope Bobby Clark remains at Pride Park beyond this season

Although Clark’s move to Celtic could still materialise, it looks like Derby will be able to retain the midfielder’s services throughout the rest of this season.

If he continues to produce excellent performances from the heart of midfield and becomes vital to the Rams’ success, then a permanent deal will no doubt be explored by Eustace.

Clark would represent an unbelievable long-term asset for Derby, one that could be sold on for a handsome fee in the future, whilst also providing them with extreme quality in the centre of the park for the coming years.

It’s still to be seen whether Clark believes he is ready to compete at a higher level, but given how fondly he has spoken about Derby to the press, it doesn’t seem unlikely for him to extend his Pride Park stay beyond this campaign.