Derby County's Ben Osborn urged to exit Pride Park amid Plymouth Argyle interest - "it just hasn't worked" | OneFootball

FLW's Derby fan pundit has expressed his feelings towards Ben Osborn's potential loan to Plymouth Argyle

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…

A late Derby County exit before Monday's 7pm transfer deadline could be Ben Osborn, who has fallen drastically out of favour at Pride Park.

Football League World exclusively revealed earlier this week that League One outfit Plymouth Argyle made a loan enquiry to the Rams for versatile midfielder Osborn.

The 31-year-old made the move to the East Midlands outfit at the beginning of last season from Sheffield United as a free agent, returning to the club that he started his youth career at briefly before joining bitter rivals Nottingham Forest.

Osborn made 25 league appearances for Derby last season, appearing mostly in midfield with the odd showing at left-back, but after suffering a hamstring injury just after John Eustace arrived as the club's new manager, he never regained his place in the starting 11, and that's continued into 2025-26.

With Eustace bringing in the likes of Lewis Travis from Blackburn Rovers, a return for Crystal Palace's David Ozoh and a deal done for Red Bull Salzburg's Bobby Clark, Osborn's role in the Derby side has diminished, and could well lead to his exit before the window's closure.

Osborn has featured twice this season for the Rams but both outings have come in the EFL Cup.

He has been commonly named among the bench early on this season. However, with transfer speculation about his future up in the air, Osborn was not part of Derby's travelling squad that saw them earn a point at Portman Road on Saturday afternoon.

Ben Osborn urged to make Plymouth Argyle move as he is "a waste of space" for Derby

With time running out until the window's closure, Osborn could well make the move down south to Plymouth to benefit both clubs.

Plymouth boss Tom Cleverley has certainly had a busy summer window up to this point, with the Pilgrims bringing in 13 players so far - and they don't look to be done just yet.

Cleverley has stressed the importance of bringing in midfield reinforcements, and Osborn could be just what Home Park needs. Football League World's Derby County fan pundit, Shaun Woodward, believes that it would be a solid move for the 31-year-old, who will struggle to earn a spot in Eustace's side this season if he stays.

"He [Osborn] really needs to go," Woodward told FLW.

"If we can get him out to Plymouth, I think it's a good move for him because Plymouth, although they've had a difficult start to the season, they'll be looking to bounce straight back once they settle into League One, so hopefully he can go there and impress, and help them push up the league and gain promotion.

"Then he might potentially want to go there because, at the moment, he is a waste of a space in our squad if I'm totally honest.

"He's not going to be getting minutes, he'll be lucky to even make the bench now with the players coming back from injury."

Ben Osborn's time at Derby County hasn't worked out as planned

Osborn has had a very successful career playing in the second tier as well as having a stint in the Premier League with his former club Sheffield United.

After spending six years at Nottingham Forest and five years with the Blades, Osborn cemented his spot in the heart of the midfield at both clubs.

However, with his career slowly coming to a decline, his time with Derby County has never really got going, but could well prove to be a solid option for Plymouth as he would provide Tom Cleverley's squad with a wealth of EFL experience.

"He's had a really torrid time with us," Woodward added.

"He was a great player back in his day, and I was really excited when we first signed him, but he just hasn't delivered for Derby for various reasons.

"With injuries, legs going, he just hasn't made any impact for us whatsoever, which is a shame given he's a Derby lad.

"I think we all wanted him to succeed at Derby, but it just hasn't happened for him.

"So I think the best thing for all involved would be for him to go out and get minutes somewhere else, get some confidence back, and hopefully look to move on because it just hasn't worked for him.