Five early bold predictions for Derby County's 2024/25 Championship season

Whoscored.com rating: 7.2. | Getty Images

Derby County will be back in the Championship after two seasons in League One

Derby County will be back in the Championship after two seasons in League One.

The Rams are getting closer to completing the full rebuild since David Clowes rescued the club from risk of liquidation back in 2022.

If they stay up this season and solidify their place in the Championship, the job will be done and the Rams can move on from what has been a dark period in their history.

But just how well will Paul Warne’s Rams do next year and who will be the standout performers at Pride Park?

Nathaniel Mendez-Laing will have over 10 goals and 10 assists

Nathaniel Mendez-Laing (Photo by Pete Norton/Getty Images) | Getty Images

It is no secret that Nathaniel Mendez-Laing has found his home at Pride Park. Amid a career filled with inconsistency and a tendancy to become unsettled at clubs, the Guatemalan has thrived at Derby.

This past season, he recorded a club record 18 assists and scored eight goals, there is no reason why he won’t struggle to do the same next season.

The focal point of Derby’s attacking play will be a threat in 2024/25 again.

Liam Thompson will become one of the first names on the team sheet

Liam Thompson playing for Derby County this past season | Getty Images

Thompson has had his best season in a Derby shirt this past year, making 24 appearances having also dealt with injury.

The 22 year-old has become a bigger part of the first team and with the likes of Max Bird, Conor Hourihane, Korey Smith and Ebou Adams all departing, Paul Warne will rely on the Rams youngster.

Derby County will finish inside the top half of the Championship table

Derby County earnt promotion from League One this past season with a second place finish. | Getty Images

Many of the bookies are backing Derby with 20-1 odds of promotion this season which would make them 12th in the league rankings.

It seems fairly optimistic as they will need a big squad overhaul this summer if they are to suceed in the Championship, but Paul Warne has shown that he can build a promotion winning team, so why not a successful Championship one.

Dajaune Brown will break into the first team and score at least five goals

Dajaune Brown scoring for Gateshead in the FA trophy final at Wembley | Nigel French/PA Wire

Brown, 18, had a fantastic loan spell at Gateshead in the National League this past season. He joined them in January and scored six goals in 18 games.

He has made a couple of first team appearances for Derby but is yet to break through, however, his talent and potential is sky high and so this could be the season for Brown.

Derby need a lot of help at the striker position and so if he came in for a couple of games and performed well, it would be no suprise to see Brown become more of a first team regular this season.

Curtis Nelson and Eiran Cashin will be considered one of the best centre back pairings in the league

Blackpool's Shayne Lavery (left) and Derby County's Eiran Cashin battle for the ball during a Sky Bet League One match at Bloomfield Road, Blackpool. PIC: Richard Sellers/PA Wire | Getty Images

Derby’s player and young player of the season had an excellent year in League One. They helped the Rams to the best defensive record in the league and ultimatley were one of the big reasons why Warne’s Derby earnt promotion.

Cashin is already at a good Championship level and Nelson has plenty of experience in the second tier. They could quite easily have as good a season this year and become of the best pairings in the division.