How John Eustace changing formation can truly unlock the best out of £690k Derby County star
John Eustace was Derby County’s saviour in 2024/25, but by ensuring the club’s safety in the Championship, he created a structure in the squad that was tough to break.
After three defeats in his first three games in charge of the Rams, the 45-year-old finally got a breakthrough against his former club, Blackburn Rovers. A 2-1 win at Pride Park was the start of a run of six wins in 11 games that saw the East Midlands outfit stay in the second tier.
Derby avoided relegation on the final day of the season, and CEO Stephen Pearce is prepared for a busy transfer window as the Championship side look to improve on their 19th place finish in 2025/26.
Yet, there is one player who will perhaps feel a little bit hard done by after he ended the season as an afterthought. But one Eustace change can unlock the midfielder in the upcoming campaign, and he could prove to be a difference-maker.
Kenzo Goudmijn has struggled for minutes at Derby County under John Eustace
Kenzo Goudmijn left his home country of the Netherlands for Derby in July 2024, joining the club while Paul Warne was the manager for a fee that Dutch outlet De Telegraaf reported to be 820,000 euros (£690,000).
He started off brightly, and the midfielder scored twice in his first five league games in England as the Rams made a strong start to life back in the second tier.
However, as the rest of the team’s form dipped, so did Goudmijn’s, and when Warne was sacked and replaced by Eustace, he found it tough to break into the starting XI as the ex-Blackburn boss utilised a 5-3-2 formation.
The incredible form of Everton loanee Harrison Armstrong, a player who Derby want to see return, as well as the leadership of Ebou Adams and Liam Thompson’s tenacity made the midfield three hard to split up – forcing the Rams to ignore their £690k summer signing.
A change in formation can reignite Kenzo Goudmijn’s Rams career
With the Rams yet to make a signing so far this summer, supporters will be expecting a flurry of action in the transfer market ahead of their pre-season trip to Austria in July.
Wingers are needed at Pride Park, and if Eustace is able to bring them in, then he will have the opportunity to return to the 4-2-3-1 formation that has served him so well in his career thus far.
This also benefits Goudmijn, whose best football in black-and-white came while he was playing in a more advanced role. It allowed him to play forward rather than sideways, and he proved on a number of occasions his ability to beat a defender with ease – whether that was by dribbling or with a pass.
There is a player in there for Eustace to unlock, and playing in a structure that allows him the freedom to carry the ball forwards will only see the 23-year-old improve as the Dutch midfielder enters the second of his four-year deal.
Five signings John Eustace needs to make at Derby County, including player who he ‘believed’ in
It’s the summer and in football that means one thing – transfers. Derby County are preparing for their second successive Championship campaign, and they have a squad that needs improving quickly.
The Rams are waiting on investment, while David Clowes hired a new Chief Financial Officer in recent weeks and John Eustace will be hoping for plenty of backing before the September 1 deadline.
The transfer window re-opens on June 16, and Derby need plenty of incomings to help them move up the table in 2025/26 after they were forced to fight against relegation until the final day of the campaign previously.
EFL Analysis have picked out five players who Eustace must sign this summer as the Rams prepare for a huge season of Championship football.
Five players who John Eustace must sign for Derby County
Harrison Armstrong – Everton
Harrison Armstrong had a stunning loan with Derby in the 2024/25 campaign after he moved from Everton on deadline day in February.
After a slow start, the midfielder became a crucial part of Eustace’s team once Paul Warne was sacked, and he worked incredibly well together with Ebou Adams and Liam Thompson.
Armstrong is open to a return to the Rams, but Everton are making Derby wait in their hunt for the teenager and it may take longer than hoped to bring the 18-year-old back to the East Midlands for a full year.
Fabio Jalo – Barnsley
From one familiar face to another who few will know about, Fabio Jalo is starting to show some of his potential at Barnsley in League One with last season a breakout year for the Portuguese teenager.
Derby need wingers, especially now that Nathaniel Mendez-Laing has departed for MK Dons and Tom Barkhuizen has left as a free agent. Their options are very limited in that position.
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