Derby County’s interest in Lewis Travis has not exactly been much of a well-kept secret in the last few weeks.
The Blackburn Rovers captain wants to join the Rams, and he was left out of his side’s matchday squad against Birmingham City on Saturday as Blues ran out 2-1 winners at Ewood Park.
Meanwhile, Derby were beaten by Coventry City at Pride Park for the first time since 2003, as the visitors scored three times in seven minutes to win the game 5-3 after finding themselves 3-2 down.
However, John Eustace is extremely keen to reunite with Travis this summer. Liverpool will gain some of the fee from a deal with Blackburn, which is why Rovers are holding out for more than the £1.5m bid that has already been rejected. Yet for one Rams player, it could put him on the chopping block.
Kenzo Goudmijn could fall out of favour if Lewis Travis joins Derby County
Kenzo Goudmijn joined Derby from Dutch outfit AZ Alkmaar last summer for a fee that BBC Sport reported to be around the £690k mark.
However, in the last few months he has struggled to lock down a place in the starting XI at Pride Park, and with the arrival of David Ozoh, he is starting to find himself further down the pecking order.
His issues will only become amplified if Travis does join, with Eustace a huge fan of the 27-year-old after their time together at Blackburn, and questions have to be asked about how Goudmijn can work his way back into the fold in the East Midlands.
He had a good pre-season, and it looked as though he was going to play a key role at Derby in 2025/26, but the style of play has not matched his strengths, which will be frustrating for him.
Kenzo Goudmijn can still force his way into John Eustace’s plans
At just 23, there is still time for the Dutch midfielder to develop and become the player that supporters saw flashes of last season.
Following a stellar display in a 2-0 win over QPR in October 2024, former Derby manager Paul Warne was delighted with Goudmijn. He said (via: Derbyshire Live): “He’s good, isn’t he? I like him. At times, we don’t keep the ball safe enough, and that’s not a good way to put it, but sometimes we take risks when we don’t need to. Then, when we need to take a risk, we don’t. It’s the weirdest thing.
“But he gets the balance really well. He can switch play, and if he overhits one, you’ll see me jump and clap – I don’t care. I like people who play with bravery.
“He is good with his feet; he accelerates away from people – he’s just a really good footballer. I thought he was our outstanding performer at the weekend. He really helped us have a bit of guile and control at times when we didn’t.”
Travis is a battler, and that is exactly the type of player that Eustace loves. However, Goudmijn does have qualities that others don’t in this Derby team and he could still force his way back in, but with the number of options in the Rams’ midfield, he may be questioning his future.
