Derby County have adjusted to life back in the Championship rather well, picking up two victories from their four league games to date to not be dangerously close to the relegation drop-zone.
A number of new recruits have settled in swimmingly too, with Kayden Jackson the pick of the bunch from the fresh faces that have joined the building this summer, having picked up two goals and an assist from his four individual contests in the second tier.
Away from the whole host of new purchases strengthening Paul Warne’s men already, both Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and Eiran Cashin – who represent the old guard from last campaign’s promotion heroics – have also not looked out of their depth moving up a league.
Mendez-Laing and Cashin’s stats so far this season
It won’t come as a shock to any Derby supporter that both Mendez-Laing and Cashin remain as key names on Warne’s team sheet, with both the Rams number 11 and the Rams number six only missing one game between them so far in league action.
Mendez-Laing would start this campaign in lightning-quick fashion, helping himself to two assists on the opening day to prove he still has what it takes to perform in the second tier, even as his employers fell to a disappointing 4-2 defeat.
Cashin might well have been in the heart of defence for that crushing loss at Ewood Park, but he has redeemed himself since, with the 22-year-old very much playing his part in the Rams keeping back-to-back home clean sheets against Middlesbrough and Bristol City recently, as two home wins were also collected.
The one-time Brighton and Hove Albion target would complete three tackles and win five duels versus the Robins, which would see his side then grow in confidence going forward knowing that the defence behind them was unlikely to be breached, with three goals then soaring in.
Another of Warne’s summer buys in Kenzo Goudmijn would open the scoring against Liam Manning’s men, with the Dutchman enjoying a wonderful start to life in Derbyshire too, which has seen his transfer value already rocket up.
Goudmijn’s transfer value in 2024
Purchased for a reasonable £690k from Eredivisie titans AZ Alkmaar back in July, Warne would admit at the time that the Rams sealing a deal for such a cut-price was a “no brainer”.
Goudmijn would help himself to seven goals and 11 assists as a promising young talent in the U21 structure at Alkmaar before spreading his wings to move to England, after 20 first-team appearances also came his way for the Dutch side.
Goudmijn’s numbers vs Bristol City | |
|---|---|
Stat | Goudmijn |
Minutes played | 86 |
Goals scored | 1 |
Assists | 0 |
Shots on goal | 5 |
Touches | 47 |
Accurate passes | 25/35 (71%) |
Key passes | 1 |
Duels won | 2/3 |
Stats by Sofascore | |
Constantly peppering Max O’Leary’s net with five shots registered in total against the Robins, Goudmijn looked very lively in the middle of the park alongside David Ozoh and Ebou Adams, as Derby’s left-field business picking up the 22-year-old from the Netherlands looks to be paying off.
His value has already increased to around the £2.3m mark as a result, according to Football Transfers, with Mendez-Laing and Cashin surprisingly worth less now.
Warne will know he can continue to rely on the stellar first-team pair moving forward regardless, as they were key parts of the jigsaw that saw the Rams finally return back to the Championship last season, even as their values come in at a lesser £759k and £1.4m respectively.
Already, it seems as if Warne has a squad that is capable of staying put in the second tier, but the many twists and turns to come in the division will be challenging all the same for the Rams.
