The 3 Derby County players we expect to leave by 7pm on September 1st | OneFootball

A look at three players who could still depart Derby County by the end of this summer's transfer window.

Derby County managed to avoid relegation on the final day of last season with a goalless draw against Stoke City at Pride Park, but they will now be seeking to kick on and push further up the table.

The plan will not just be to avoid the bottom three and the relegation places in the Championship, but also kick on enough to even push into the top-half of the second-tier table.

The Rams have embarked upon something of a rebuild over the summer, under the management of John Eustace, with several first-teamers let go at the end of their contracts, perhaps the most prominent departure being Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, who has joined Milton Keynes Dons on a free transfer.

Derby have brought in some intriguing additions, too, with Patrick Agyemang joining from Charlotte alongside fellow forward Carlton Morris, who has arrived from Luton Town.

As well as that pair, both Danny Batth and Andreas Weimann have followed Eustace to Derby from Blackburn Rovers, whilst Richie O’Donnell has signed on a free transfer, with Owen Beck signing on loan from Liverpool and David Ozoh returning on loan from Crystal Palace.

However, as they likely still continue to focus on incomings, there are still exits to be expected from Derby this summer, so Football League World has had a look at three more players who could depart.

Kayden Jackson

Having joined from Ipswich Town in the summer of 2024, Paul Warne tasked Kayden Jackson with becoming the experienced head that would work tirelessly for the team in attack as they made the step-up to the Championship.

Jackson went on to feature in every game of the league campaign last year, and he certainly did a job for the team, but with just three goals returned in those appearances, John Eustace may well be keen on ensuring the same level of hard work and intelligence is matched by a few more contributions in the final third.

According to Capology, Jackson is on £12,000 per week and so, despite him saying he is eager for the season to start, it still wouldn’t be a surprise to see him depart if Derby find a suitor.

Joe Ward

Joe Ward joined in the summer of 2023, a summer that Derby built a squad that would eventually win automatic promotion, and in a variety of positions across the campaign, he turned himself into a key man for Paul Warne’s Rams that season.

Last year, though, Ward struggled for minutes in the first-half of the campaign under Warne and then underwent knee surgery in January 2025, ending his season early.

There is a chance that Ward gets a chance again under Eustace this summer but, again, it would be no surprise to see the former Peterborough United either shifted out or try to move on to find regular game time elsewhere.

Corey Blackett-Taylor

Another member of that League One promotion-winning squad that could be on the way out would be Corey Blackett-Taylor, who again found it difficult to get a lot of minutes last season.

The Aston Villa academy graduate arrived on loan in January 2024 and played a reasonably important role in helping Derby finish second, before then making just 13 appearances across all competitions last season.

With other forwards having now arrived, it wouldn’t be a shock at all to see the 27-year-old winger depart, albeit, like Jackson, he has also discussed how keen he is for the season to get underway.