Derby County told £12k-a-week star won't be happy at Pride Park - He didn't "produce the goods" | OneFootball

FLW's Derby County fan pundit has identified one Rams player who won't be happy with their situation at Pride Park & may push for a summer exit.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Derby County will be entering the summer transfer window on a high, after the arrival of John Eustace saw the Rams successfully avoid relegation to League One.

County lost just one of their final six Championship games in the 2024/25 season, with big wins over West Brom and Hull City as well as a final day draw with Stoke City helping to secure their second tier status for another year.

However, nobody at Pride Park will want to see the club battling to stay in the division once again in 2025/26, and with Eustace now at the helm, Derby will very much be looking up rather than down.

In order to start climbing the table, incomings and outgoings will need to be made over the coming months, and that will have a number of first-team players sweating over their futures.

"If I was him" - Kayden Jackson identified as being discontent with his Derby County situation

We asked our Derby County fan pundit, Shaun Woodward: 'Is there one player in particular at Derby that you suspect isn't too happy with their situation right now, and may be seeking a summer exit? If so, who and why?'

Woodward said: "I would've said Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, because he went from being our captain and a mainstay under Paul Warne, to a bit part player under John Eustace with a few substitute appearances here and there.

"So I would have said him, but now he's left, I would probably then go down to Kayden Jackson.

"Similar to Mendez-Laing - just out of favour under Eustace. He didn't produce the goods. He huffs and puffs a lot, but his end product and quality just wasn't there.

"So, I can see him really struggling to make any impact under Eustace, and if I was him, I'd be looking to move somewhere where I'd get minutes.

"I don't think he's going to get many under Eustace."

Derby County will surely find it hard to justify keeping Kayden Jackson given his minimal return despite hefty wage packet

Signed on a free transfer last summer following his release from Ipswich Town, it was hoped that Jackson would prove to be a shrewd piece of business by Derby County.

The experienced striker penned a two-year contract at Pride Park, with Capology's figures - which must be stressed are an estimate - claiming he's picking up a weekly wage packet of £12,000.

That made him one of the club's highest earners in 2024/25, but unfortunately, his production on the pitch didn't match the lucrative contract the Rams have seemingly handed him.

Despite featuring in every single one of Derby's 46 Championship games last season, 28 of which being starts, the 31-year-old was only able to bag three goals and two assists.

Therefore, now on the wrong side of 30 and potentially being one of the Rams' highest-earning players, it would appear hard for Derby to justify retaining his services for next season if that is to be his production level at this stage of his career.