Derby County: £5 million disaster deal is one the Rams will want to forget | OneFootball

Derby County will want to forget their deal to sign Jacob Butterfield.

Jacob Butterfield had a long and winding career across numerous teams in the EFL, and it is fair to say that he will be remembered more for his moments than for his consistency.

The midfielder has over 300 appearances in the second tier, yet it never felt like he was a player who could frequently impact a Championship game.

His best moments came in the blue and white of Huddersfield Town and the red of Barnsley, but it was his big-money move to Derby County that ultimately saw his influence fade.

It was a spell in his career that seemed hampered by his price tag, and his 2015 move to the Rams ultimately marked the beginning of his decline into the lower tiers of English football.

Jacob Butterfield's big-money move to Derby

Having made his name with the Tykes, he moved to Norwich City and Middlesbrough, with loan spells at Bolton Wanderers and Crystal Palace punctuating his time. However, he struggled to truly showcase his ability during these stints, and eventually joined the Terriers from Boro in 2014, with Adam Clayton moving the other way.

This helped Butterfield rediscover his groove as the midfielder proved influential in a side struggling near the bottom end of the Championship. Across 45 games, he scored six goals and provided seven assists, and this was enough to warrant him a move to a club fighting at the other end of the division.

Joining at the end of the 2015 transfer window, the Rams signed him for £5 million, and eyebrows were raised at the hefty sum paid for a player who had only truly delivered in one full season.

Featuring for a team at the top end of the league, Butterfield's contributions were expected to increase, but instead, they flatlined. In his first season, he scored just seven goals and failed to register a single assist in 37 games.

For a player brought in to create opportunities for those around him, this was simply not good enough, and the years that followed only saw his struggles continue, with the midfielder never living up to the considerable fee.

The following season, he was afforded more time on the pitch, but once again he couldn't carve out a definitive role in the team, with the Bradford-born midfielder overshadowed by those around him.

Tom Ince was the standout player that season, with 14 goals and seven assists, making Butterfield's contribution look lacklustre as he managed just one goal and three assists. His frustration was further compounded by the team's underwhelming performance, with the Rams finishing a disappointing ninth place in the league.

In a bid to change their fortunes, Derby decided to look elsewhere in the summer of 2017 and that saw him move to Sheffield Wednesday on loan for the campaign, with striker Sam Winnall heading the other way.

A move to Hillsborough did little to revive Butterfield's career, as he started just 12 times for the Owls and spent much of the latter stages of the campaign on the bench.

By this point, his reputation was beginning to tarnish, and in an attempt to minimise their losses, the Rams loaned him out once again in the winter of 2018-19, this time to Bradford City. The midfielder featured regularly for the Bantams, but he found himself in a side doomed for relegation, as, during his 15 appearances, they managed just one win on their way to League Two.

By July 2019, Derby had seen enough and made the difficult but understandable decision to terminate Butterfield's contract. In the years since, he has gradually dropped down the divisions and now plies his trade with Gateshead in the National League.

Jacob Butterfield's time at Pride Park was one of disappointment.