John Eustace oversaw a remarkable transformation at Derby County.
John Eustace oversaw a remarkable transformation at Derby County.
Derby County did not have the luxury of Leeds United's budget, but the club punched above its weight in the Championship last season, according to the latest figures.
The website Transfermarkt has published a table that compares the value of squads to their final position in the league, and it makes for interesting reading as far as Derby are concerned with the club considered the ninth-best n the Championship.
There is a long-held theory in football that the size of your playing budget often correlates to where you finish in the league table. Derby's spend last summer equated to around £2.7m, which was around what they made in
That money was spent on Ebou Adams, and , with the rest of Derby's additions coming through loans and free transfers with 11 deals being concluded in the summer.
Derby acted again in January when they sold Eiran Cashin to Brighton for £10m and bought Sondre Langas from Viking FK for £4m, while they also splashed out a six-figure sum for Lars-Jorgen Salvesen. Matt Clarke arrived on a free transfer while Harrison Armstrong put pen to paper on a loan deal from Everton.
Transfermarkt estimated that Derby's current squad value is around £23m, which puts them 22nd in the Championship when judging the teams with the most valuable group of players.
After Paul Warne was sacked in February and replaced by John Eustace, Derby eventually climbed free of the relegation zone, and their safety was secured on the final day against Stoke City. That left them 19th in the table, three places better off than they should be.
When squad value is compared to league position, Millwall were the best-performing team in the Championship, with the Lions being 11 places better off. Their squad value is estimated at £32m, which includes loan signings.
The worst performers were Luton Town, who finished 15 places below where they should be with a squad value of £78m. That puts them third in the list of clubs in terms of value. The Hatters were eventually relegated on the final day.
Hull City were second from bottom in what was a disastrous season for the Tigers, who sacked Tim Walter and replaced him with Ruben Selles.
Hull's squad is valued at £56m and they were 11 places off where they should be in the Championship table signalling much-needed room for improvement after the survived relegation on the final day.
To see the full league table, click