Derby County must have Middlesbrough regretting January transfer | OneFootball

The Rams signed the defender in the winter transfer window, and he has had an immediate impact at Pride Park.

Derby County took another step towards survival in the Championship on Tuesday evening as they held promotion-chasing Burnley to a 0-0 draw at Pride Park Stadium.

The Clarets headed into the game at the top of the table following their win over Coventry City at the weekend, but they were coming up against a resurgent Rams side that were looking to bounce back from a 1-0 defeat to Swansea City.

It was a game of few clear-cut chances in DE24, but John Eustace will feel as though his team should have found a way to put the ball in the back of the net, as Jerry Yates and Matt Clarke both came close to scoring.

Nevertheless, with teams around them also dropping points, it could be a crucial draw for Derby as they head to Portsmouth on Saturday looking for their third away win of the season. But to do so, they will need their defence to hold strong, with one of their January signings sure to play a vital part.

Middlesbrough must rue decision to sell Clarke to Derby in January

The Rams were looking for defensive reinforcements in the winter transfer window, with Curtis Nelson out for the season with an ACL injury, while Eiran Cashin was about to join Brighton & Hove Albion for £9m.

The first of two centre-back additions was Clarke from Middlesbrough, with Football League World exclusively revealing just days before that they were in pole position to complete a deal for the 28-year-old.

It was a decision that came out of the blue, as Boro were struggling with options in the heart of their defence, but Derby were keen to get a move over the line and he was signed just a couple of days before Cashin departed.

He has played in all but one of his side's games since returning to Pride Park, after previously spending two seasons on loan between 2019 and 2021, missing out only against Middlesbrough due to a knock that he sustained in the final 15 minutes of the Rams' 1-0 defeat to Millwall the previous week.

Clarke's ability to head, kick and throw his body at every ball has made him one of the first names in Eustace's starting XI's, while he was also able to grab his first goal since returning to the East Midlands against Coventry in a 2-0 win in March.

Every week, the decision to let go of the defender looks to be a poor one from Michael Carrick, and he is quickly achieving hero status at Pride Park.

Clarke's contract situation is a worrying one for Derby

While the signing of Clarke has proven to be an excellent one so far, there is one huge concern for Derby, and that is the fact the ex-Brighton & Hove Albion man's contract is set to expire at the end of the season.

He signed a short-term deal in January, and survival in the Championship will be needed to ensure that the Rams have a chance at securing his services for another couple of years.

Eustace has instilled calm into his defence in recent weeks, and after three successive clean sheets at home, he will want to keep that group together as well as he can in the summer, and Clarke is a major part of that.

However, he knows what he has to do to keep his number 25 in DE24, and push on next season as Derby look to try and establish themselves in the second tier once again.