Derby County will be coming up against some familiar faces on their return to the Championship, with Lewis Dobbin being one of them.
The wait is almost over for Derby fans, who kick off their return to the Championship with a trip to Blackburn Rovers on Friday night.
Paul Warne has been busy in this window, and although six players have arrived, the Derby boss wants to add at least another couple of quality additions.
Warne knows that the challenge of staying in the second tier is arguably the toughest it’s ever been, as Birmingham City were relegated on 50 points last term.
It’s also the time of year when Derby are reminded of the talented players that have come through the doors at Pride Park but left the club for various reasons.
So, with that said, here are five former players the Rams will face in the Championship.
Lewis Dobbin
Derby fans will remember Lewis Dobbin for his loan spell at the club in the 2022/23 campaign.
The Rams had just suffered relegation to League One and Warne looked to the loan market for inspiration, landing Dobbin from Everton.
The talented attacker would go on to make 43 appearances in the league, providing three goals and four assists.
Featuring 12 times for Everton in the Premier League since, the 21-year-old left for Aston Villa this summer and has since been signed by West Brom on loan.
Max Lowe
Max Lowe is another example of the talent that Derby are capable of producing but weren’t able to keep hold of.
Lowe made his professional debut for the Rams in August 2016, appearing 48 times before being sold in a joint deal with teammate Jayden Bogle to Sheffield United for around £15 million.
Now aged 26, the attacking left-back is back in the Championship but this time with arch-rivals Sheffield Wednesday after being released from Bramall Lane.
Jayden Bogle
Bogle graduated through Derby’s famed academy and was promoted to the first-team squad ahead of the 2018/19 campaign.
He made his senior debut in a Carabao Cup tie against Oldham Athletic in August 2018 and went on to make 90 appearances for the club with an impressive 16 assists.
Sheffield United then raced to capture the 23-year-old in the summer of 2020 and he has since enjoyed a successful spell at the club, making 33 appearances in the top flight despite the Blades’s disastrous campaign.
Bogle has since been sold to Leeds United, who captured the right-back for around £5 million this summer.
Morgan Whittaker
Derby will always regret letting some of their players leave, and one of those is Morgan Whittaker.
The 23-year-old began his career in the Rams academy and was sold by the club to Swansea City in January 2021.
Although he only made 37 appearances for the Swans, the fleet-footed winger was sent on loan to Plymouth Argyle in July 2022 and made that move permanent a year later for just £1 million.
That is looking like an incredible bargain now after he scored 19 Championship goals last term, with the ‘amazing’ star since attracting European interest.
Jason Knight
Another player who came through the Rams academy.
Jason Knight made 166 appearances for Derby before being snapped up by Bristol City last summer.
The 23-year-old attacking midfielder has shown the Robins were right to sign him as he played in every single one of their Championship matches and even captained the side for nine of them.
Derby will come up against Knight for the first time since his departure next season.