Derby County: If nothing happens, these 12 players are going to leave Pride Park | OneFootball

Football League World takes a look at the 12 Rams players out of contract this summer.

Derby County's fight for survival in the Championship looks to be going all the way, and there is less than a month to go for the club to secure its second tier status for another season.

Just 12 months ago, the Rams were in a promotion battle in League One, and much has changed over the course of that time. With a new management team and an unrecongisable squad, it's been a busy year at Pride Park.

However, this summer looks to be one of monumental change in DE24, and John Eustace has a number of decisions to make regarding contracts before they expire at the end of June.

Football League World has taken a look at the 12 Derby players whose current deals are set to come to an end this summer.

Rohan Luthra

Rohan Luthra seems incredibly unlikely to make his Rams debut before the end of the campaign, having joined the club ahead of the 2024/25 season as their third-choice goalkeeper on a one-year contract.

The majority of his work is done at the training ground, Moor Farm, where he spends his time helping out Jacob Widell Zetterstrom and Josh Vickers.

Kane Wilson

Kane Wilson's contract is perhaps the most important one that needs to be renewed by Eustace in the coming months, with the right-back a key part of his plans.

He joined the club from Bristol City on a two-year deal ahead of their promotion from League One, and time is running out to extend it.

The 25-year-old has been exceptional this season, and he has coped with the step-up back to the Championship fantastically. However, if Derby are relegated, it may be more difficult than many hope to keep hold of him.

Sonny Bradley

Sonny Bradley is currently out on loan at Wycombe Wanderers, and he is playing a major part in the Chairboys' push for promotion to the Championship.

Unfavoured by Paul Warne, Eustace never got the opportunity to see what the veteran centre-back could do, and it seems incredibly unlikely that his contract will be renewed with the 33-year-old set to be way down the pecking order on his return.

It would not be a surprise to see Wycombe make Bradley's move permanent in the summer, with the ex-Luton Town captain a key part of their plans.

Matt Clarke

Matt Clarke joined Derby in the January transfer window from Middlesbrough until the end of the 2024/25 campaign, and he has looked at home since returning to the club that he spent two years at on loan between 2019 and 2021.

The 28-year-old has racked up plenty of experience in the years since then, and he has been a credit to his head coach in a back three.

If the East Midlands outfit can stay in the division, then there is no doubt that they should do everything they can to extend the former Brighton & Hove Albion man's contract.

Erik Pieters

The most recent addition at Pride Park, Erik Pieters, has joined the club to help with cover in central defence and at left-back as the season enters its final weeks.

An extremely experienced player at both Premier League and Championship level, the Dutchman spent the last few weeks training with the Rams before signing a contract with the club until the end of the campaign.

Craig Forsyth

At 36, age is just a number to Craig Forsyth, and he has consistently proven that he is one of the very best to put on a Derby shirt in the last decade.

The left-back turned centre-back has been incredible for Eustace since his former teammate arrived as the new head coach in February, and he has more than deserved an extension to his deal at the club that he has called home since 2013.

Tyrese Fornah

The second Rams player on this list that is currently out on loan, Tyrese Fornah, has made a bit of a name for himself in League Two with Salford City.

He joined his parent club from bitter rivals Nottingham Forest in the summer of 2023 on a two-year contract, but he found it tough to break into the starting XI and the arrival of Ebou Adams only made it tougher for the defensive midfielder to work his way into the team.

Liam Thompson

Academy graduate Liam Thompson is a huge fans' favourite at Pride Park, and he is the sole survivor of the team that won the U18s Premier League title in the 2018/19 season.

He triggered an extension in his contract when Derby won promotion from League One last April, and he has slowly worked his way into Eustace's team in the last month, and it is clear how highly he is rated by his head coach.

A continuation of these performances in the coming weeks will only help the Nottingham-born ace's chances of earning a new deal, and he could be a huge player for the club in the next few years.

Jeff Hendrick

Another academy graduate, but from a very different era, Jeff Hendrick reunited with the Rams and Eustace in March on a deal until the end of the season.

He is mostly used as cover in case of further injuries in the middle of the park, and if he is played, it will only be in the event of an emergency.

Nevertheless, his experience will be extremely useful in the run-in, and he will be of great use on the training pitch as Derby look to retain their Championship status.

Tom Barkhuizen

Tom Barkhuizen, like Thompson, had his contract renewed when his team won promotion from League One almost 12 months ago, but he has found it tough for minutes since then.

With the Rams now operating in a 5-3-2 formation, he has become of less and less importance as the year has gone on, and it seems likely that the first signing of the David Clowes era will leave Pride Park in June.

Kemar Roofe

From one first to another, Kemar Roofe joined Derby not long after Eustace was appointed, but it has not quite been the return to the Championship that he would have hoped for.

Like Hendrick and Pieters, he has made the switch to the East Midlands on a deal until the end of the season, but he is currently out injured after making just two appearances for the club.

A prolific goalscorer on his day, there will be huge hopes that he can get back to full fitness sooner rather than later and help out in the fight against the drop.

Conor Washington

Conor Washington joined the Rams on the same day as Bradley in July 2023, and it looks like his time at the club is set to come to a very disappointing end.

No longer a part of the 25-player squad, the Northern Ireland international has not featured at all this season and, instead, he has spent time in the U21s instead.

Washington's exit has been conclusive for a number of months, and his hopes of playing consistent Championship football look to have been dashed after two tough years from his own point of view, having made just 19 appearances in League One in 2023/24.