Derby County eyed Huddersfield Town repeat with 2018 Chelsea pick-up but season ended in disappointment | OneFootball

Kasey Palmer joined the Rams on loan in January 2018, but it was a move that never truly worked for either party.

Derby County's 2017/18 campaign started off excellently, and by the time the January transfer window came around, there was genuine belief that they could put behind their previous heartbreak and win promotion back to the Premier League.

Gary Rowett's side were not playing the most impressive football, but it was extremely effective, and with the incredibly clinical Matej Vydra firing in the goals, the Rams were flying.

However, past experiences stayed in the minds of the majority of supporters and there were fears that a post-Christmas drop-off was going to happen once again.

Therefore, it was no surprise to see Derby delve into the transfer market to try and keep the momentum going for the second half of the season, with Chelsea's Kasey Palmer joining on loan to help make that final push for promotion after doing so with Huddersfield Town the year prior. But, it was a move that never truly materialised as many hoped it would do after four goals and three assists in only 25 games to help the Terriers over the line 12 months earlier.

Palmer was never given a proper chance to shine at Derby

The then 21-year-old signed for ther Rams on deadline day in January 2018, and he was looking to recreate the success that he had with the Terriers.

He made his debut just four days later, coming off the bench in the final minute of a 3-0 win over Brentford, with his minutes gradually increasing over the next few weeks.

He scored his first goal for Derby in just his fourth appearance, equalising late on in a 2-2 draw against Leeds United at Pride Park Stadium. Palmer's new side were suffering what now felt like an annual slide in February, and fans were calling for the attacking midfielder to start his first game for the club sooner rather than later.

It came just three days later, as Rowett and his team visited the Madejski Stadium to face Reading. In what proved to be an incredibly exciting game, the two drew 3-3, with the Chelsea loanee scoring yet again.

However, with play-off challenging Fulham next on the agenda, he was dropped to allow the Rams to set up more defensively.

Palmer was constantly coming in and out of the starting XI, and it was proving to be frustrating as he struggled to gain any consistency with his performances.

It was clear that his style of play juxtaposed that of Rowett's, and he never truly fit into the team at any point, despite his bright start. The performances of Vydra did not help either, and the Huddersfield promotion hero was forced to play in a deeper role than he wanted to accommodate the Championship's top scorer.

Palmer could not help as Derby's season ended in heartbreak

A late-season resurgence saw the Rams secure their place in the play-offs, although it looked as though an automatic charge was more than on for the majority of the campaign.

Palmer, however, was not having the opportunities that he thought he was going to have, and he missed out on the first leg of the tie against Fulham at Pride Park.

Derby took a 1-0 lead into the second leg at Craven Cottage, but they went in far too defensively, and allowed Fulham the freedom to play their game. Denis Odoi and Ryan Sessegnon both scored to cancel out Cameron Jerome's header from the game three days prior, and sent Slavisa Jokanovic's side through to Wembley.

It was another disappointing play-off run for the Rams, and Palmer did not have ample time on the pitch to help. He played just 23 minutes of the 2-0 defeat in London, and ended his time in black-and-white in an extremely forgettable manner as he was unable to secure his second Championship promotion in two seasons.