Exclusive: John Eustace blocks Derby County swoop for Cardiff City figure | OneFootball

FLW can exclusively reveal a major update in Derby's search for a new sporting director.

Derby County's move to bring in a new sporting director has been halted after Rams manager John Eustace blocked a move for Cardiff City's head of recruitment Patrick Deboys, sources have exclusively informed Football League World.

FLW exclusively revealed in early March that Deboys was in talks to join Derby over potentially becoming the club's new director of sport.

However, the Rams now look set to go back to the drawing board in their sporting director search, with the Cardiff City figure seemingly now out of the running to land the role at Pride Park.

Cardiff City's recent recruitment may have been cause for Derby County rethink

Deboys has been working as Cardiff City's head of recruitment since April 2023, as per his LinkedIn profile, taking over that position from Kevin Beadell.

Having first joined the Bluebirds as a first-team performance analyst in January 2015, he's worked his way right to the very top of the club's recruitment hierarchy, and as such, is evidently a talented and respected figure at the club.

However, aside from one or two hits with the likes of Yousef Salech and Alex Robertson, Cardiff have been struggling to receive strong returns on the majority of their investments this season.

That has no doubt contributed to their struggles on the pitch this term too, with Omer Riza's side hovering just one point above the relegation zone heading into this weekend's clash with Sheffield Wednesday.

Eustace will want to be totally convinced that Derby are making the right decision when it comes to adding a key recruitment figure, and as such, Cardiff's largely disappointing season of transfer business may well have been cause for a Rams rethink.

John Eustace must get Derby recruitment right if he's to lead club in a positive direction

Derby will be looking to make it four-straight wins on the bounce when they take on Preston North End at Pride Park on Wednesday night.

This upturn in form has breathed new life into County's Championship survival bid this season, with three wins and three defeats from Eustace's opening six league games in charge of the Rams.

However, regardless of what division the club are plying their trade in next term, getting their recruitment right is going to be essential to the success of Eustace's reign, and indeed the trajectory he takes the club in.

Given the club's recent financial challenges and concerns, Derby must ensure the transfer business that they conduct is highly shrewd, and they must see positive returns on their investments if Eustace is to lead County into a brighter future.