Derby County: Middlesbrough deal never delivered after West Brom promise
The 2016/17 campaign saw Derby County endure an incredibly poor start with Nigel Pearson at the helm, and it looked as though a team that had been battling for promotion over the course of the last three years was going to be involved in a surprise relegation scrap.
However, after the former Leicester City manager was sacked and replaced by a fan favourite in Steve McClaren, something that helped turn the Rams’ season around.
Results quickly improved, and the East Midlands side started to rise up the table towards the top half, and a third play-off finish in four years looked to be a reasonable ambition for a team that had looked as though they had forgotten how to win.
The January transfer window saw McClaren make changes to his squad, and Derby thought they had found a gem by bringing in a young Middlesbrough midfielder on loan, but his debut against West Bromwich Albion proved to be somewhat of a false dawn.
Julien De Sart
De Sart was excellent on his debut
The Rams were drawn against the Baggies in the third round of the FA Cup in what looked to be an excellent challenge against Premier League opposition.
There was a lot of confidence heading into the tie, and a packed-out away end only helped boost the confidence of the players on the pitch in a game that many would have predicted the hosts to advance in.
Steve McClaren
This confidence grew after Matt Phillips handed West Brom the lead 10 minutes before half-time, and Derby had a mountain to climb against a top flight side.
However, they hit back in the second half, with Darren Bent spectacularly equalising just after the break, with Tom Ince’s dipping free-kick sending the Rams through to the fourth round in a 2-1 victory.
It was a fantastic result and performance from the Championship side, with Julien De Sart impressing supporters and his manager on his debut.
There was a calm about his approach throughout the tie, and his ability to control the ball made it easy for Derby to turn defence into attack and cause issues for the West Brom back line.
De Sart left many excited about the final half of the season, and there was a real belief that if he could transcribe his debut antics into the next four months, the Rams would have a chance of sneaking into the top six.
De Sart’s West Brom performance could not be replicated
Anticipation was high for the Dutch midfielder’s league debut, but one of the most exciting entrances at Derby in the 2010s was quickly nullified, and he struggled in the Championship.
The pace of the division seemed to pass him by on several occasions, and he struggled to read the game as well as he did against Premier League opposition.
De Sart did grab a goal for the Rams against Cardiff City in an entertaining 4-3 defeat at Pride Park in February 2017, but he was proving to be of less and less use.
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