Euro 2024 may bring Derby County player regret back to the surface: View | OneFootball

The attacker made 88 appearances for the Rams in three years.

Highlights

Euro 2024 is the first European Championships since 2012 that Derby County have not been represented in. However, Austria do have one ex-Ram in their ranks in Germany this summer.

After eight years at Aston Villa, Andreas Weimann made the switch to the East Midlands to join Paul Clement's Derby side ahead of the 2015/16 season for an estimated £2.75 million.

At 23, Weimann was an extremely exciting prospect, boasting 14 caps for his native Austria since making his debut against the Ivory Coast in 2012. He had also made over 100 appearances in the Premier League for Villa, and all signs looked towards the signing being an overwhelmingly good deal.

However, as time went on, it transpired that the Austrian struggled to transfer his form from his former employers to Derby.

Three years of inconsistency at Pride Park

Weimann was signed to replace fan favourite Jamie Ward, who joined rivals Nottingham Forest a few weeks later after his contract at Derby expired at the end of the 2014/15 season.

Operating across the front line, he struggled to nail down a position in his first few months in a Rams shirt. Switching from centre-forward to either wing on multiple occasions.

This lack of consistency in positioning had a knock-on effect, with Weimann failing to record a goal or assist in his first 11 appearances.

His first goal came in a 3-0 win against Rotherham United, volleying home from a Craig Forsyth cross to open the scoring after just seven minutes. He did not have to wait long for his second Derby goal, scoring the winner against QPR just four days later.

Weimann made it three goals in four games against Cardiff City as the Rams climbed up to fourth in the Championship. However, this was as good as it got in his debut season with Derby, as his form started to decline.

The opener in a 1-1 draw in the penultimate game of the season was the forward's first goal in 15 appearances, with Derby losing 3-2 on aggregate to Hull City in the play-offs weeks later.

Weimann missed the start of the 2016/17 season through injury and went on to feature in just 11 games for the Rams until January when he was sent out on loan to fellow Championship side Wolverhampton Wanderers by Steve McClaren.

The then 25-year-old made 19 appearances for Wolves, scoring twice while pitching in with two assists for his temporary club who finished 15th.

Despite the excitement around his signing two years prior, Weimann was starting to look like a shadow of the player who had been in the Premier League with Aston Villa. His final season at Pride Park, although his most productive in terms of goal involvements, was the final nail in the coffin as he moved on from the Rams at the end of the season.

The once so-called wonderkid scored five goals and claimed six assists in the 2017/18 campaign with Derby under Gary Rowett, as again the team failed in the play-offs after finishing 6th in the Championship.

Transforming at Bristol City

Although Weimann had a year left on his contract in the summer of 2018, Bristol City made a move for him in the transfer window.

Signing on a three-year deal, with an option of a further 12 months, the Austrian made an instant impact for his new team, scoring five goals in his first five matches - including a brace against QPR.

A first career hat-trick against Sheffield United was enough to leave Derby supporters puzzled as to how they failed to get the most out of Weimann in his three years with them, as he ended his first campaign in Bristol with 10 Championship goals in 44 games.

Weimann started to become the star at the Robins and finished as the joint-third top goalscorer in 2021/22 with 22 goals - a far cry from his best season at Derby.

His club form earned him his first call-up to the Austrian squad since 2015 against Wales and Scotland in March 2022, setting him on the path towards Euro 2024.

Now 32, Weimann ended 2023/24 on loan at West Bromwich Albion after finding the back of the net just once in 20 games for his parent club before the end of the January transfer window. His contract at Bristol City expired this month, and he is now a free agent for the first time in his career.

Nevertheless, despite his lack of goalscoring form in the last two years, his experience has earned him a place in Germany with his national team for the European Championships.

Although he is not expected to start, the former Derby man can provide from the bench when required and will leave Rams fans everywhere wondering how and why it failed to work out at Pride Park all those seasons ago.