Derby County: Louie Sibley "regret" verdict issued after summer contract decision | OneFootball

FLW's Rams fan pundit has given his thoughts on Sibley's tough time since he rejected a new contract at the club last summer

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 claimed that former Derby County midfielder Louie Sibley may now regret not signing a new contract at the club last summer, given his struggles at Oxford United that saw him loaned out to Rotherham United in the recent January window.

Sibley made the tough decision to depart Pride Park ahead of this season, following 14 years as a Derby player, but has not been able to find form in the seven months since his exit at new club Oxford.

The Burton-born midfielder joined the Rams' academy at the age of 10, then worked his way through their youth teams to make his first-team debut in August 2019.

He soon became a key player for the club as they battled financial struggles in the Championship and were eventually relegated to League One in 2022, and he remained a first-team regular for five seasons while playing his part in their promotion back to the second-tier last term.

Sibley was offered fresh terms at Pride Park last summer as his contract came to an end, but rejected the offer of a new deal and instead decided to continue his playing career elsewhere to join fellow newly-promoted side Oxford on a free transfer in July.

Derby County fan pundit offers Louie Sibley 'regret' verdict after Oxford struggles

Sibley told the Oxford Mail upon his arrival at the Kassam Stadium that he "needed that change" and had to leave the Rams, but he was unable to impose himself at the Kassam Stadium in his first few months at the club.

He featured 14 times for the U's in the first half of the season, with one goal and one assist to his name, and only one start in the Championship under either Des Buckingham or Gary Rowett.

His lack of game-time for Oxford saw him join Rotherham last month on loan until the end of the campaign, and he netted on his debut for the Millers in a 4-2 defeat to Burton Albion, and will now be looking to impress to try and force his way back into the thinking at his parent club for next season.

Our Derby fan pundit, Shaun Woodward, thinks that the 23-year-old may now rue his decision not to sign a new contract at the club last summer, given how his time at Oxford has transpired since, but also understands why he chose to leave for a fresh start elsewhere.

“Hindsight is a wonderful thing, and if you look at the likes of Jason Knight and Max Bird, two of probably Louie Sibley’s best mates in football, they both left Derby and went on to bigger and better things,” Shaun told FLW.

“Eiran Cashin has also gone, so that group of players that came through together, they’ve all gone.

“For Sibley, he didn’t really enjoy Paul Warne’s style of football. He didn’t really have a place in that team and didn’t really know where he fit.

“Paul Warne wasn’t sure where to play him, so he ended up playing him at left-back when he did get a game.

“He had a few moments where he won us games, but he was in and out of the side. He wasn’t really making a mark on the team and his career had stalled over those last couple of years.

“He probably thought that a fresh start somewhere else would be good for him, and I think most Derby fans agreed with him, and we all wished him well at Oxford.

“However, it hasn't worked out for him, and he’s now gone to Rotherham where hopefully he can kickstart his career again.

“He’s a talented lad, and is still young, but unfortunately it hasn’t worked out for him as it should have done.

“Maybe he does regret not signing a new contract at Derby, but I do genuinely believe he wasn’t happy being a bit-part player here.

“He was hoping he could establish himself at another club, which sadly hasn't happened yet, but there is still time and there is still a decent player in there, so I wish him all the best.”

Gary Rowett has backed Louie Sibley to find his form again in temporary Rotherham United stint

Sibley has joined a struggling Millers side in League One in need of a real injection of quality, but they have won just one game from the seven he has featured in as yet, so more clearly needs to be done over the coming months to restore his reputation in the eyes of Oxford boss Rowett.

Rowett sanctioned Sibley's exit last month after only a month in charge at the Kassam Stadium, but he did back the 23-year-old to prove his quality in South Yorkshire upon his exit, while explaining his reasoning behind the loan move to the Oxford Mail.

The Oxford boss said: "We’ve got quite a few players that haven’t managed to get minutes. Sometimes when you change formation, it makes it a little bit harder for one or two to find a natural fit within that.

"Sibs is one we just felt would benefit. The first half of the season was also similar, with his injury as well. We felt it was a good opportunity for him to go and get games, and hopefully show us exactly what he is, which is a very good footballer.

"I think it was more around where could he go and flourish. The way that they want to play might suit Sibs’ energy and competitiveness.

"If you can get balls around the edge of the box dropping for him, he’s the sort of player that can come onto it and finish things.

"For us, it’s been difficult. I think he’s more of an eight, and at the moment because we’re playing with a 10 and two wide players in those areas, it’s probably a little bit more difficult for him, but he’s a really nice kid and I’ve known him for a while.

"I’m hoping it can be the sort of thing he needs. If you’re 23, you want to be playing football. He wants to play football, and I would fully support him wanting to play football, and trying to give him that opportunity."

Sibley is yet to really get going for the Millers, despite opening his account for the club within two minutes of his debut, but has been a regular starter over the last month and will surely play a part in any success they may have from now until the end of the season.

It is fair to assume that, if he had known how the last seven months were going to pan out before knocking Derby's contract offer back last summer, he may well still be plying his trade in the East Midlands right now.