Captain Conor Hourihane and goalkeeper Joe Wildsmith are the headline departures from Derby County as the club released its retained list today.

After talks with head coach Paul Warne, the duo will leave Pride Park at the end of their contracts and join Korey Smith, Scott Loach, Dwight Gayle and Martyn Waghorn who will also depart. Last season’s top scorer James Collins is in discussions over a new contract as is Louie Sibley who was excellent towards the back end of the season.

Craig Forsyth and Tom Barkhuizen will both remain at Derby, however, after they both triggered performance-related clauses in their contracts that will keep them at Pride Park for a year. The club has also taken up an option in Liam Thompson’s contract that will tie him to the club for another 12 months while Darren Robinson has signed a new two-year deal.

Wildsmith, Hourihane and Smith will not be short of offers given the role they have played in helping Derby seal their first promotion in 17 years. Hourihane has been targeted by Barnsley for a player/coach role with the Tykes yet to announce their new manager with Daniel Stendel heavily linked with a return to Oakwell. The Republic of Ireland international played 47 games for Derby last season and scored a crucial winner in the 3-2 win over Burton Albion last season.

The striker is yet to sign a new contract with the Rams after two years at the club.

James Collins finished the 2023/24 season as Derby County’s top scorer in all competitions with 19 goals. However, despite helping his team to promotion from League One, he has yet to sign a new contract with the Rams, leaving them with just one striker.

Collins, 33, joined Derby in July 2022, signing on a free transfer from Cardiff City. The former Luton Town striker has scored 31 goals in 98 games since his arrival, however, fans of the club are still waiting to find out if their number nine will be making it season number three in black-and-white.

Derby have just one striker contracted for next season in Dajaune Brown, but the 19-year-old has only made a handful of cameo appearances for the senior team and spent the back-half of last season on loan at non-league Gateshead.

Manager Paul Warne is in need of forming a brand-new forward line this summer to help his club survive in the Championship in 2024/25. Here are three players that the Rams may take a look at in this transfer window:

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