The 9 Derby County players set to become free agents next year | OneFootball

The Rams have a host of players due to leave the club at the end of the season, with many outside of the starting XI.

Derby County have made an excellent start on their return to the Championship in 2024/25.

The Rams have picked up 12 points from their opening nine matches, with all of those coming at Pride Park Stadium, where they have lost just once in five games.

Paul Warne has put together a squad of talented players of a variety of ages, who have so far proven to be able to keep up with the demands that the second tier brings.

However, with the first stage of the season over, heads will start to turn towards January, and players who are without contracts past the end of June 2025 may be looking at an exit, particularly if they are struggling for minutes on the pitch.

Derby have nine players who are set to become free agents (per Transfermarkt) if nothing changes between now and the end of the campaign, and Football League World has taken a look at all of them.

Rohan Luthra

The Rams' third-choice goalkeeper behind Jacob Widell Zetterstrom and Josh Vickers, Rohan Luthra, is not expected to feature too heavily throughout the season, and instead is taking a supportive role, covering either one of Derby's shot-stoppers in case of any injuries or suspensions.

He moved to Pride Park Stadium in the summer from Cardiff City, and apart from a couple of appearances on the bench early on in the campaign, most of his work is done at Moor Farm, the club's training ground. If he continues his good work there, he could be handed an extension.

Sonny Bradley

Signed ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, Sonny Bradley was one of the Rams' promotion heroes. However, he has been pushed aside this season with Nat Phillips becoming Warne's back-up centre-back.

A fierce competitor on his day, the 33-year-old looks likely to leave the club when his deal expires as they start to move away from the team that got them out of League One just six months ago.

Curtis Nelson

Like Bradley, Curtis Nelson was brought in just over a year ago to help Derby make that step back up to the Championship.

Since making his debut against Wigan Athletic in August 2023, the centre-back has not missed a minute of league action, and continues to be a dominant force in the Rams' defence.

He has formed an excellent partnership with Eiran Cashin, and it would be astounding if the 30-year-old is not at the club at the start of 2025/26.

Craig Forsyth

A modern-day legend at Pride Park, Craig Forsyth has been a part of the furniture in DE24 since joining the club originally on loan in 2013 from Watford.

350 appearances and over a decade later, the Scottish full-back continues to play a key role for the Rams, despite being 35-years-old. By the time the season finishes, the Scot will be 36, and it could be the perfect opportunity to bring his fantastic career to an end by helping keep his team in the Championship.

Kane Wilson

Yet another talent picked up on their way to promotion from League One, Kane Wilson, has taken like a duck to water in the second tier, and has already impressed supporters with his skill moves on the right-wing.

He scored Derby's second goal of the season, and although he picked up an injury in their first home match, he has come back from his issue and has not put a foot wrong.

Wilson appears to be a favourite of Warne, and it can be expected that his stay in the East Midlands will be extended.

Liam Thompson

Another fan's favourite, and an academy graduate as well, Liam Thompson, has been excellent in the last couple of seasons since returning from a tough loan at Scunthorpe United.

The 22-year-old has a Jack Russell-like tenacity in midfield, chasing down his opponents in the final moments of matches, while also popping up with goals on the odd occasion.

His strike against Chesterfield in the Carabao Cup back in August could already be destined for the club's goal of the season, and Pride Park will be hoping to see his contract extended once again.

Tom Barkhuizen

Tom Barkhuizen's injury struggles in 2024/25 have seen him forced out of the first-team picture throughout the first two months of the season.

Nevertheless, he picked up some important goal contributions from the wing in his first two years at the club, earning himself a performance-based extension at the end of the last campaign.

However, with better players now at the club, and his minutes on the pitch expected to be limited, Barkhuizen himself might expect to leave Derby in June, if not in the January window itself.

Conor Washington

Conor Washington's Rams career perhaps has not gone as well as he would have liked it to have done. He made just 19 appearances in League One last season, scoring only three times.

An ankle injury suffered on international duty in November 2023 halted a lot of his momentum, and he has struggled to recover since, and is yet to play in 2024/25.

It seems extremely unlikely that the former Rotherham United striker will play for a third year at Pride Park, as his time in black-and-white slowly comes closer to an end.

James Collins

James Collins was handed another one-year deal in the summer after enjoying two relatively successful seasons in DE24.

His volley against Carlisle United on the final day of the last campaign sealed the Rams' promotion, but since that match he has struggled to maintain his place as the starting striker.

Still useful off the bench, it is hard to imagine that the 33-year-old will be given another contract in the coming months, but his involvement in Derby's promotion can never be forgotten.