"An £8-10m player" - Derby County concerns raised over potential Eiran Cashin exit in January | OneFootball

FLW's Derby County fan pundit believes defender Eiran Cashin could attract interest from elsewhere in January.

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...

It has been a decent start to life back in the Championship for Derby County.

Derby secured promotion back to the Championship following a two-year absence after finishing second in League One last season, and they have not looked out of place in the second tier so far.

After coming through the academy at Pride Park, one player who has been crucial to the Rams' success in recent years has been defender Eiran Cashin, and the 22-year-old has established a reputation as one of the brightest talents in the EFL.

Cashin won Derby's Young Player of the Season award for the second consecutive year last term after playing a key role in the club's promotion, but it could all have been so different if he had completed a move to Brighton & Hove Albion last summer.

The Seagulls were said to have been willing to pay up to £4 million to land Cashin's signature, but they ran out of time to complete the deal before the deadline, and the defender admitted that the switch to the Amex Stadium would have been a "life-changing opportunity" for him.

If Cashin was disappointed at missing out on a Premier League move, he has certainly not shown it, and he signed a new contract to keep him with the Rams until the summer of 2027 in February, but it may not be long until the club face another battle to keep hold of him.

Derby County fan pundit issues Eiran Cashin prediction

When asked which player he believes will garner the most transfer interest in January, FLW's Derby County fan pundit Shaun Woodward admitted that Cashin is the club's most sellable asset and could be sold for the right price.

"The one thing Derby don't have is many sellable assets at the club, given the current situation we're in where we have to wheel and deal and bring in loan players," Shaun said.

"I'd say Eiran Cashin is our only real sellable asset. He's had Brighton look at him in the past, and he was close to moving there.

"I think, realistically, he's the one that could potentially have clubs sniffing around him, so to speak.

"I would probably say he's realistically an £8-10 million player.

"I wouldn't want him to go, but I can see he probably would be the one that would go if we needed money and the right price came in."

Paul Warne will be fearful about possible Eiran Cashin exit

It is difficult to disagree with Shaun that Cashin is Derby's prized asset, and the prospect of him leaving in January will be concerning for manager Paul Warne.

Cashin has been integral to the success the Rams have experienced under Warne's guidance, and his departure would undoubtedly be a huge blow to their hopes of staying in the Championship this season.

While Derby have decent options to come into the team if Cashin does depart, none of their existing centre-backs possess the same quality as the former Republic of Ireland youth international, and many are aged 30 and above, so Warne may have to enter the transfer market to replace him.