Derby County are now in pole position to sign a rival midfielder following a surprising admission by one Championship chief.

Derby in pole position to sign Championship rival

Following a routine victory over Swansea City on Saturday, Derby sit as high as sixth in the Championship and on course for a surprise playoff finish.

It represents just how great an impact John Eustace has made in the space of a year at Pride Park, taking the Rams from the relegation zone into the top six.

With 14 games to go in the Championship, Derby couldn’t have asked for a better job from their manager in his first full season in charge. After such a difficult decade at the club, which included relegation to League One, shock promotion to the Premier League would leave the Rams in dreamland.

Following victory over Swansea last weekend, Eustace told reporters: “It was a hard afternoon. They are really back to playing the old Swansea way now, dominating possession [with] lots of real good footballers.

“They can hurt you if you are not disciplined enough. But we showed good discipline. We didn’t get too disappointed in giving too much of the ball away and I knew as the game opened up we’d have more opportunities on the transition and we’d be able to hurt them on set-pieces.”

Up next is a trip to face Watford at Vicarage Road, with the Hornets looking to revive their own campaign after hiring Edward Still, in what will be another tough test.

Thanks their strong position, meanwhile, Derby have also stepped things up away from the pitch. According to SportsBoom, Derby are now even leading the race to sign Todd Cantwell from Blackburn Rovers.

Derby can take full advantage of Cantwell’s contract stand-off

Since joining Blackburn in 2024, Cantwell has been far closer to his most impressive form. And, as such, he’s demanding a wage which he feels would recognise that. Rovers, who sit just three points clear of the relegation zone, are in no position to offer their captain his demands, however.

Club chief Rudy Gestede admitted that Blackburn simply cannot “compete” if players like Cantwell demand such wages, swinging the door open for Derby to make their move.

There’s no doubt that a playoff place would certainly boost the Rams’ finances and that could be enough to match Cantwell’s big-money wages this summer.

As for Cantwell, he certainly has a big decision to make amid growing interest from the Championship and even former club Rangers.