Derby County may be jealous of Nottingham Forest, Reading FC agreement | OneFootball

Eiran Cashin left the Rams for Brighton last month, but he has not returned on loan, unlike Tyler Bindon at Reading.

The January transfer window has come and gone, but a lot of clubs in the EFL may have wished for more time to help add to their squads.

One such side are Derby County, with the East Midlands outfit bringing in just four new faces over the course of the winter while four departed for pastures new.

The biggest story involving the Rams over the course of the month was the notable departure of Eiran Cashin to Brighton & Hove Albion for £9m. The Seagulls had been interested in the defender for the last year-and-a-half, and a move was always a matter of when, not if.

Supporters had grown to love the academy graduate over the course of the three years that he spent in the first team at Pride Park, and they may have hoped that he would have seen the season out in black-and-white.

However, the transfer failed to come with a loan-back clause, and Derby may be looking at Reading's agreement with Nottingham Forest with a hint of jealousy.

Derby missed out on Cashin returning to the club, unlike Reading with Tyler Bindon

The Rams have been forced to improvise on several occasions at the back in recent weeks, but the additions of Matt Clarke and Sondre Langas will help them ahead of the run-in, as they now finally have two natural centre-backs fit.

However, being able to keep hold of Cashin for the rest of the season on loan would have been a huge help to their chances of survival. Instead, he now seems likely to play a part in the Premier League with Brighton - something that he does deserve.

Nevertheless, after League One side Reading lost Tyler Bindon to Nottingham Forest on deadline day, they were able to secure the young defender back on loan until the end of the campaign.

The New Zealand international only had five months left on his contract at the Select Car Leasing Stadium, and losing him to a club in a higher division in the January window was always going to be a bridge that the Royals had to cross.

However, with Bindon now staying in Berkshire for the rest of 2024/25, Derby may be jealous of Reading that they were not able to come to a similar agreement with Brighton.

Cashin could be in for his Premier League debut sooner rather than later

Despite the desire that the Rams had to keep hold of their now ex-talented defender, the Seagulls may just need to use him this weekend after a crushing defeat to Forest last Saturday.

The Reds ran out 7-0 winners over the south coast side at the City Ground, and it would not be a surprise to see Cashin given his first run out in blue-and-white against Chelsea in the FA Cup on Saturday.

The 23-year-old is not cup-tied as he was injured when Derby were beaten by Leyton Orient in the third round on penalties, and if he does perform against the Blues, he may just face them once again a week later in the Premier League.

Cashin is further ahead in his development than Bindon, and therefore, it is not a surprise to see him given the opportunity to see the season out in the top flight. However, the Rams will have a level of disappointment to see him in a different kit for the first time in his career.