Derby County have had a number of bright young talents leave for the exit in recent years, including the likes of Omari Kellyman and Kaide Gordon.
The Rams have a brilliant academy, being one of two teams in League One (along with Reading) that have their U21 side playing in Premier League 2.
However, due to many off-field financial issues over a year ago, the club were deducted 21 points and subsequently relegated from the Championship to League One.
In need of money, this meant that the departures of Kellyman helped keep the club going.
‘Absolutely devastated’ by departure
Derby recruitment manager Josh Butler has said that he believes Kellyman did not want to leave Pride Park, when he departed for Aston Villa in February 2022.
He also claimed that Kellyman’s sale of around £600,000 to Villa was crucial in keeping Derby going.
“He kept the club afloat,” Butler told The Athletic. “We needed to sell Omari to keep us going. Selfishly, I was absolutely devastated when he left. I don’t think he wanted to leave.”
Kellyman leaving was crucial in club survival
This will not come as a surprise to Derby fans, as Kellyman was rated very highly in the academy. He even made the bench for the first team, against Bournemouth in November 2021 under Wayne Rooney.
The £600,000 received for the striker will have paid staff wages and played a massive part in saving the club, so the club will always be in debt to him.
His younger brother, Jahmi, also left Derby for Villa this month, with the 14-year-old wanting to follow in his older brother’s footsteps.