Tyrhys Dolan signs: The dream Derby County summer 2025 transfer window | OneFootball

Football League World takes a look at two signings and two departures that could happen involving the Rams in the summer

Derby County's fight for survival in the Championship looks as though it could go all the way until the final day of the campaign, with John Eustace looking to repeat his exploits with Blackburn Rovers from last season with his current side.

Three wins from three just before the international break handed the Rams a lifeline that few saw coming, and with just a matter of weeks to go until all decisions become final in the second tier, the 45-year-old has to continue picking up results.

The East Midlands outfit know just how important the task at hand is, with a return to League One not even an option in the mind of their head coach and Football League World has taken a look at Derby's dream summer transfer window, based on the club staying in the Championship.

In - Tyrhys Dolan

Tyrhys Dolan's contract at Blackburn is due to expire at the end of the season, and currently, all signs point to the winger moving away from Ewood Park after five years.

While there will be plenty of suitors, the Rams may just hold the key to the 21-year-old's heart in the form of Eustace, his former manager at Rovers. It looked as though the two formed a strong bond during their time together, and he may look to rekindle this relationship at Pride Park in the summer.

Dolan has consistently reached at least 10 goal involvements during his time in the Championship, and with Derby's wingers struggling throughout 2024/25, it is clear that they need improvement in this department themselves and both parties may be a perfect match for one another.

Bringing down the average age of the squad is also a key issue that must be fixed in the upcoming transfer window, and the former Preston North End youngster could be the perfect player to help start this new trend in DE24.

Out - Nathaniel Mendez-Laing

It's been a year to forget for Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, with the Rams' number 11 finding it increasingly difficult to find the form that saw him help his team to promotion from League One last season.

Now 32, time is running out for the Guatemala international at this level and if he fails to show the performance levels that are needed in Derby's final games, then Eustace may be forced into the decision to let him go.

With a year still left on his deal, it does offer the East Midlands side the chance to bring in a fee and this will be useful as they do not currently have too many players with much of a value that could be sold on and Mendez-Laing could help add to their own transfer fund.

Nevertheless, he should not be forgotten for his work while the Rams were in League One, and without his goals and assists in the third tier the club would not be in the position that they are in. But both himself and the team are in need of a refresh and finding a new home could be the perfect opportunity for the ex-Cardiff City ace to prove his quality once again.

In - Harrison Armstrong

Harrison Armstrong is one of the emerging talents in the Championship right now, although he is only on loan at Derby from Everton.

After a slow start to life at Pride Park, the 18-year-old has started to show just how much quality he truly has in the middle of the park for Eustace's team and getting him back on loan for the entirety of next season has to be at the top of the Rams' to-do list.

Having captained the England U18 team over the international break, it is clear to see how highly regarded Armstrong is by his coaches at every level and, while it may not be the easiest of tasks in keeping hold of him for another year, the Toffees must take note of how much their young star has already developed in black-and-white and giving him the opportunity to do so again must not be shunned.

He scored his first senior goal against Plymouth Argyle a couple of weeks ago in a vitally important 3-2 win, proving the different qualities that the teenager has, having already shown his adeptness at breaking up play.

Out - Conor Washington

The decision to let go of Conor Washington in the summer has to be made, and it seems incredibly unlikely that he will stay at Derby once June comes to an end.

The striker was not named in the 25-player squad list following the winter transfer window, and he has not been named on the bench since the Rams' 2-0 win over Queens Park Rangers in October at Pride Park.

Washington, seemingly a now ex-Northern Ireland international, has made just 19 league appearances for the club that he joined at the start of the 2023/24 campaign, with all of these coming in the third tier and a mix of injuries, poor performances and not being fancied by either Paul Warne and now Eustace has meant that his time in the East Midlands is coming to a disappointing end.

Despite being just 32, time is running out in his career with his game time so limited, and it will take a huge amount of work in the summer to get him back up to match fitness, ready for a new challenge elsewhere.