Derby County should be wary of what happened with Adam Wharton at Blackburn: View | OneFootball

Derby County continued their push for League One promotion last weekend, but had to settle with just a point at home to Shrewsbury Town.

The Rams currently sit second in the division, six points behind leaders Portsmouth, but have played more games than the sides around them, so could drop out of the top two in the coming weeks.

And failure to achieve promotion to the Championship could bear huge significance in whether some of their star assets remain at Pride Park next season, despite one of them signing a new deal last month.

Derby County's January business

Paul Warne's side enjoyed a good January transfer window, adding to their squad to bolster their promotion hopes, but will feel disappointed that a striker did not walk through the Pride Park doors, despite being linked with Sheffield Wednesday striker Michael Smith all window.

However, the club were able to recruit in key areas such as out wide and in midfield with the signings of Corey Blackett-Taylor from Charlton Athletic and Ebou Adams from Cardiff City.

They also lost Max Bird permanently to Bristol City, but managed to bring him back on loan for the rest of the season whilst also extending Tyreece John-Jules' loan from Arsenal.

One key bit of business that the Rams got done the day after the window closed though was perhaps their most important, and that was tying academy graduate defender Eiran Cashin down to a new contract until 2027.

In the lead up to the January transfer window, six clubs were believed to be interested in Cashin, according to TEAMtalk.

Brighton and Hove Albion were one of those, having seen a late summer move for Cashin collapse as they ran out of time to complete a £4 million deal for the left-footer.

Burnley and West Ham United were other Premier League clubs to have taken an interest in him - Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder was another name mentioned as being one of the 22-year-old's admirers.

But the Rams will be wary of what has previously taken place in the last window, looking no further than Adam Wharton's transfer from Blackburn Rovers to Crystal Palace.

The highly-rated midfielder completed an initial £18 million move from Ewood Park in January, despite signing a new deal with the Lancashire outfit until the end of the 2027-28 season just a month earlier.

While it proved to be a smart financial move from Rovers, it proves that just because a new deal has been signed, the player may not see out the duration of that contract.

Since being thrust into the first-team in the second half of the 2021-22 season in the Championship, Cashin has taken that opportunity to become a key part of Derby's back line with both hands.

He ended up making 52 appearances in all competitions for the Rams last season, rarely being seen outside the Derby matchday squad, with his performances resulting in being named the club’s Young Player of the Season.

So far this campaign, he has made 37 appearances in all competitions for Derby, and he is a big reason as to why the Rams are so far up the League One table.

After failing to make the play-offs last season, Derby have gone one further this year and are on the charge for automatic promotion with Cashin at the centre of their good work.

The Republic of Ireland youth international is a key part of the defence, with so far only two teams conceding less than Derby in the third tier.

While performances of late have not caught the eye, Warne's side have continued to grind out results and sit well within the play-off picture, hoping to secure automatic promotion this season.

Having failed to reach the play-offs last season, and a repeat of last season's result seems unlikely, but failure to gain promotion could prove costly in terms of retaining players for a potential second term in League One.

With previous Premier League interest circling the 22-year-old in January, you expect all eyes to return to Cashin in the summer if his performances continue to standout.

Even if promotion to the Championship was secured, there is no guarantee that Cashin would remain at Pride Park if an offer came in that was too good to refuse.

But, the club are well-placed whatever division they will play in next season after getting the defender to sign a new deal in January, ensuring a guaranteed fee is obtained should he leave.

How much is Eiran Cashin worth?

While Cashin's new contract ties him down to the club until 2027, promotion to the Championship this season will have a huge say if he is to remain at Pride Park beyond this campaign.

The Rams are in a strong position in the League One table, but promotion to the second tier is far from guaranteed.

However, Cashin is an exceptional talent that is attracting a lot of attention, so the Rams may consider an offer for his services should the fee and the club be right for both parties if promotion is not achieved.

Derby could reasonably earn around £5 million for the defender, which a number of sides should look to take advantage of if they can afford it.