Derby County must hope Everton deal isn’t re-run of Leicester City failure | OneFootball

The Rams signed Harrison Armstrong on deadline day from the Toffees for the rest of the season, but must avoid a repeat of King's 2019 exploits.

Derby County's deadline day was relatively quiet, and Paul Warne was only able to bring in just one new face to Pride Park despite the team's struggles in the Championship in the 2024/25 campaign.

This season has been tough for the Rams, and when compared to some of their past experiences in the second tier, it truly has not been a favourable year for the East Midlands outfit.

One of those campaigns that stands out in particular is 2018/19, when Frank Lampard guided his side to the play-off final. They were beaten by Aston Villa at Wembley, but the current Coventry City boss' young team were able to develop a superb relationship with supporters.

However, similar to Warne, Lampard was not able to get the most out of the January transfer window and one of his winter signings struggled to make an impact. Derby must hope that they do not suffer a repeat of that with Harrison Armstrong, after Everton allowed the youngster to make his way to Pride Park for the rest of the season.

Andy King's time at Derby was incredibly underwhelming due to one key reason

The Rams had floated in and around the top six for much of the opening months of 2018/19, and Lampard was looking to utilise the transfer market to help strengthen his squad ahead of the run-in.

The club's former owner, Mel Morris, had allowed the Chelsea and England legend to spend heavily in the summer and it had paid off for the most part, but there were still areas of the team that needed cover.

Ashley Cole made a surprise return to England to help out his former teammate, with left-back cover needed, while Andy King was signed on loan from Leicester City to help add even more experience to Derby's midfield.

The then 30-year-old made his debut for his new club against Hull City just over a week after his arrival, coming off the bench in a 2-0 win at Pride Park Stadium.

An injury to Mason Mount meant that King was incredibly crucial to Lampard's plans for the first few weeks of his time in black-and-white, but he would quickly join the Chelsea loanee in the treatment room.

He started in just his second game as a Ram against Ipswich Town before a small cameo in a 1-0 defeat to Millwall set him and Derby up for a clash against bitter rivals Nottingham Forest.

However, just minutes into the second half, with King's side losing, he went to the ground injured and was forced off the pitch. He suffered a season-ending ankle injury, and returned to Leicester without making an impact in DE24.

Derby must hope that Armstrong can remain fit

While the disappointment of the ex-Leicester star's injury was felt hard, Rams supporters will hold a belief that the young Armstrong will not suffer a similar fate and can help push the team away from the relegation zone.

Derby have had bad luck with fitness issues throughout this season, but the introduction of the talented teenager will be a boost.

The 18-year-old is at a very different point in his career compared to when King moved to Pride Park, and if he can avoid any injury problems, he could prove to be an incredibly shrewd signing and help secure the club's Championship status for another year.