"I admire his loyalty to Derby County" - Eiran Cashin tipped for the Premier League | OneFootball

Eiran Cashin has been excellent since making his debut in 2021, and is now an essential member of the starting XI.

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...

Derby County have been incredibly defensively sound at home in 2024/25.

The Rams have conceded just three goals in their first five matches at Pride Park this season, conceding only to Norwich City in a 3-2 defeat in September, their only loss on their own patch since returning to the Championship.

This consistency at the back has been a huge reason behind Derby's success since Paul Warne took over as manager just over two years ago, with the partnership of Curtis Nelson and Eiran Cashin one that has caught the eye of many across both the second and third tiers.

The latter of the two, Cashin, has been superb since making his debut in 2021, establishing himself as one of the most consistent and dependable centre-backs in the EFL, and at just 22, the academy graduate looks destined for a career in the Premier League.

Cashin tipped to get to the Premier League

While it may not seem it, due to the number of matches he has already played, Cashin is still in the very early days of his career and has already amassed over 130 appearances for the Rams in under three years.

The defender is not often injured, missing just six league matches since the start of the 2022/23 campaign, and it is this stability that will serve him well in the years to come.

Football League World's Derby fan pundit, Shaun Woodward, was asked about which player at the club he believes could play at a higher level, with Cashin the only choice for him.

He told FLW: "He's head and shoulders above most at our club. For someone so young, he's played a lot of minutes; he's a leader, he's great on the ball, he's deceptively quick, he can read the game, he can start off attacks and he loves defending.

"You can tell it really means a lot to him when he puts in a good block, a good tackle or when he wins a good header. He's what the fans want to see.

"He gives everything for the club, and I also think he's just a very, very good footballer. He could quite easily slot into maybe a holding role in midfield, he's just got a good brain on him for a centre-half."

Shaun continued: "He’s one that should be looking to progress his career. I admire his loyalty to Derby County, but if I was him in the next couple of seasons, depending on what direction we go in, I'd be looking to move to the Premier League.

"Unfortunately, even if it's not with Derby, but for me, he has to be looking at the Premier League in the next couple of years."

Cashin must not jump at the chance of Premier League football

Cashin pledged his future to the Rams back in February, signing a new long-term deal at Pride Park until 2027, something that seemingly staved off any interest from those in the top flight in the summer window.

It was an important thing to do, as the 22-year-old was due to be out of contract at the end of last season, and Derby had already rejected bids from Brighton & Hove Albion at the start of the 2023/24 campaign.

A player with his ability will also be targeted by clubs with a higher pedigree than the Rams, but Cashin himself must look after his own career and not jump at the first chance of playing in the Premier League.

While he is a very talented defender, there are still parts of his game that need to be worked on, and it can be said that his centre-back partner, Nelson, is the more complete player.

However, the academy graduate's ceiling is incredibly high, and he will more than likely go past Nelson in terms of ability, but staying at Derby to complete his development fully is perhaps the only way to reach his full potential.

The Rams' number six is a Premier League player in-waiting, but he must think ahead before making a career-defining move.