3/1 To Win
Dean Saunders became Derby County’s first-ever £1 million signing in October 1988.
The striker had become hot property in the English game during the 1980s following impressive spells at Swansea City, Brighton & Hove Albion and Oxford.
The former Wales international, now 55, played 131 times for the Rams in total under Arthur Cox before departing for Liverpool in 1991.
During that time, he scored 57 goals in a Derby shirt and quickly became a fans’ favourite.
He scored twice on his debut, within days of signing, in a 4-1 home victory over Wimbledon, and he went to score five times in his first four games.
Saunders finished the season on 14 goals from 30 league appearances as Derby finished in fifth place in the top-flight.
He went on to score 21 times in all competitions over the next two seasons, with the Rams eventually relegated at the end of the 1990/91 campaign.
Saunders joined Liverpool for £2.9 million in the summer of 1991, alongside fellow team-mate Mark Wright who moved to Anfield for a fee of £2.3 million.
Despite his time ending in disappointment, Saunders believes the Rams made him a better player and more intelligent in his role as a centre-forward.
“Time flies doesn’t it; I remember it like it was yesterday,” he said when visiting Derby a few seasons ago.
“I can recall my debut for the club, against Wimbledon, and getting a couple of goals to get me off and running.
“They were great times, playing under Arthur Cox. I believed every word he said!
“My dad gave me determination to be a footballer, but Arthur made me think about what I was doing as a striker and made me run.
“I think it was where I became a proper centre-forward and a proper striker. I learnt a lot during that time.”
“Arthur was great and he had us bang at it every single week. The players all liked him and were scared to death of him. I loved every minute of being at the club."
“We had a really good team and I have happy memories of my time at Derby,” he added.
After leaving Derby for Liverpool, Saunders went on to have spells at Aston Villa, Galatasaray, Nottingham Forest, Sheffield United, Benfica and Bradford City before moving into management at Wrexham in 2008.
He also had spells in charge of Doncaster Rovers, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Crawley Town and Chesterfield, leaving the latter in 2015.
