Derby County shouldn’t view their inability to sign a striker on deadline day as a setback, even though they had hoped to.
Many believed that another forward would have been added to provide more firepower after the signing of Kayden Jackson as a free agent after six seasons with Ipswich Town and Jerry Yates on loan from Swansea City earlier in the summer.
But Derby appeared to miss the mark, as they signed Marcus Harness and Nat Phillips from Ipswich and Liverpool, respectively, for the remainder of the campaign.
The Rams’ forward line is unchanged from two months ago as a result of this, but with rookie Dajaune Brown still with the team, it could be the beginning of something very special at Pride Park.
Brown was hotly tipped to leave on loan
Paul Warne knew he had to get the transfer policy down pat after being promoted to the Championship, and he has, for the most part, succeeded in doing so.
They kept all of their important players, including Eiran Cashin, in place, and are already seeing results from the additions of David Ozoh, Jacob Widell Zetterström, and Kenzo Goudmijn.
With Brown and the majority of the team having completed a full preseason, the Rams were able to wrap up their business relatively early in the offseason, which helped set the stage for the remainder of the season.
Many were inclined to believe that he would again spend at least half of the season away from DE24 after making an impression while on loan in the National League with Gateshead. But only two players from Warne’s squad—Darren Robinson and Tyrese Fornah—have been sent out on loan.
It appears that the manager of the Rams feels that Derby is the best place for the 19-year-old striker to develop, which will excite fans, even though he stated in August that eight clubs were interested in the player.
Brown has already been involved in the first-team this season
Brown had a minimal role in the previous season. He made just one start, in the EFL Trophy, and only made four more cameo appearances, two of which were in League One.
The forward, who was born in Nottingham, has already played in two Carabao Cup matches for Derby, and he made his Championship debut against Bristol City in 2024–25.
He proved that League Two is a step below his abilities, maybe, as he was a constant threat to the Spireites’ defence and picked up an assist against Chesterfield.
In the Rams’ 3-0 victory over Bristol City over the weekend, he was substituted for Yates and went on to play the final five minutes of a commanding performance at Pride Park.
By the time Brown took the pitch, the game was all but over, but that didn’t stop him from pressing the Robins’ defence, sending the visiting team into a panic.
The 19-year-old is going through an extremely exciting time, but more than any other player in the team, he needs to be managed. Brown has a very bright future ahead of him, and Warne’s decision to keep him on the team rather than send him out on loan may indicate to him and the fans that he will be a valuable addition this year.
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