3/1 To Win
Seven of Derby County’s Academy prospects have penned their first-ever professional contracts with the club ahead of the 2024/25 season.
The seven Under-21s players have put pen-to-paper ahead of the team’s first game of the season against Aston Villa in Premier League 2 on Friday 16th August (7pm kick-off).
Jake Buxton’s Under-21s will once compete in Premier League 2 this term and play against some of the big hitters in English football, including Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City’s academies, as well as featuring in the Central League.
The seven players signing on the dotted line are as follows:
Josh Shattell – Goalkeeper
Shhot-stopper Shattell joined Derby as a first-year scholar in 2022 and made nine appearances for the Under-18s during the 2022/23 campaign. He had a spell on loan at Forest Green Rovers last season and made one further appearance for the Under-18s.
Daniel Cox – Defender
Welsh youth international Cox joined the Under- 21 squad over the summer having made 12 appearances during last season's Premier League 2 campaign. The centre-back made his first appearance for the Rams’ senior team in November 2023, coming on as a substitute in the EFL Trophy home victory over Wolves Under-21s.
Jack Perry – Defender
Perry joined the Under-21 squad this summer after two years as a scholar in the Rams academy. The versatile right-back made 23 appearances in all competitions during the 2023/24 campaign, including seven with the Under-21s in Premier League 2.
Billy Gough – Defender
Gough joined the Rams at the Under-16s level from Notts County. He earned a two-year scholarship at the end of the 2021/22 season, after impressing in five appearances for the Under-18s. The young left-back made 17 appearances in all competitions during the 2022/23 season, before ramping up his involvement the following season with 23 appearances.
Harry Hawkins – Midfielder
Joining the Under-21s set-up on a permanent basis in the summer after two years as part of the Under-18s side, Hawkins racked up 16 league appearances for the Under-18s, whilst still a schoolboy, in the 2021/22 season and won the Academy Player of The Year. He made progress in the following season making 31 appearances in total, 16 of those for Jake Buxton’s Under-21s side. The midfielder made 30 appearances during the 2023/24 campaign and made his first appearance for Derby’s senior team as the Rams defeated Wolves Under-21s in the EFL Trophy Group Stages in November 2023.
Jaydan Davidson – Forward
Winger Davidson joined Derby’s Under-21s in the summer of 2024 after two years as a scholar in the academy. He made 16 appearances, including four in Premier League 2, and scored seven times in his first season. Last season Davidson featured on the bench of the Rams' first team fixture away at Notts County in the EFL Trophy Group Stages.
Lennon Wheeldon – Forward
Stepping up to the Under-21s level over the summer, Wheeldon joined the Rams from Notts County as an Under-16s player. The striker netted nine goals during the 2022/23 campaign including an impressive hat-trick in a 5-2 win over Liverpool Under-18s. Last season he continued to impress, scoring for the Under-18s and Under-21s, and made his senior debut, making a substitute appearance in the Rams' EFL Trophy Group Stage victory over Wolves Under-21s.
