Exclusive: Don Goodman issues Derby County prediction ahead of 2025-26 season | OneFootball

The Rams ended the previous campaign on a high, but where does Goodman think they'll finish in 25/26?

Despite being in relegation danger for much of the 2024-25 season, Derby County's first year back in the Championship was ultimately a successful one as they survived the drop.

The Rams kept Paul Warne as manager for as long as they possibly could, but in early February, owner David Clowes bit the bullet and relieved him of his duties, after a run of seven successive league defeats that had seen them drop into the relegation zone.

An ambitious attempt to appoint Blackburn Rovers boss John Eustace was made, and with the 45-year-old keen to return to the club he played for in his on-field career, a deal was struck and he has led County ever since.

Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman tips Derby County to steer clear of Championship relegation battle

With three league losses in a row to start his time as Derby manager, including a debut 4-0 drubbing away at QPR, Eustace looked to have a tough job on his hands to keep County in the Championship, but in his final 11 matches of the season, he guided the club to six victories and 21 points out of a possible 33, which in the end kept them in the division.

County are yet to make any transfer moves ahead of next season in terms of incomings, with the likes of Nathaniel Mendez-Laing heading to MK Dons on a permanent basis and all loanees returning to their parent clubs, but there will be optimism that with the right additions, Derby will be able to build on a 19th-placed finish in 2024-25 instead of being in another relegation battle.

And speaking exclusively to Football League World, Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman believes that the 2025-26 season will see the Rams well and truly away from any kind of relegation battle, based on what was seen under Eustace's management at the back end of the previous campaign.

"No, I don't see Derby County in a relegation battle next season," Goodman told FLW.

"I look at the 14 games John Eustace took charge of at the end of last season - six wins and three draws, and that's despite losing the first three games he took charge of.

"If he accrued that points total over the course of last season that would be 69 points, which would've actually been enough for a play-off spot for Derby, remarkably.

"He's outstanding at organising teams and making them hard to play against and hard to beat, so those are ingredients that will see Derby County not be in a relegation battle."

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Eustace proved that the decision of David Clowes to part ways with Paul Warne and pursue the then-Blackburn boss was the right one, with significantly improved performances and results leading to their survival.

Of course, given the timing of the move to Pride Park, Eustace was only able to sign a couple of free agents in the form of Kemar Roofe, Jeff Hendrick and Erik Pieters, who only bolstered squad depth at a time of need and made little impact, with just four appearances between the trio.