Derby County missed out on a familiar face late in the summer transfer window, when Ben Brereton Diaz decided to return to Sheffield United.

The Chilean spent last season on loan at Pride Park from Southampton, where he established himself as a regular in John Eustace’s squad.

Brereton-Diaz appeared in 40 league games for the Rams, scoring seven goals and assisting three others as they ended seventh in the standings.

A second stay in the East Midlands appeared to be a possibility this summer, after Derby continued to support the forward during his recovery from injury.

However, the 27-year-old decided to return to Bramall Lane for a third time, disappointing Rams fans.

Derby County fans are dismayed by Ben Brereton Diaz’s decision.

Brereton Diaz spent a whole season working under Eustace at Derby, and he already had a relationship with Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder.

The striker spent the 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons with the Blades before returning to South Yorkshire this summer.

Speaking to Football League World, Rams Fan Pundit Shaun Woodward acknowledged it was unfortunate to see the attacker pick the Sheffield United move, especially given the support he received at Pride Park.

Woodward commented: “It is disappointing that Diaz chose Sheffield United over Derby, considering that we did support him through his injury rehab last season.”But he had to make a decision, and the allure of Sheffield United and Chris Wilder outweighed the desire to play for John Eustace again, which is frustrating. But that is life. We need to go on.

Brereton Diaz has made 38 appearances for the Blades in two periods, scoring 10 goals and providing four assists, seven of which came in the Premier League.

“One thing I would say with Diaz is that you know what you’re getting,” Woodward said. “He’s accustomed to this league; he’s scored goals, and he knows what it takes to be successful at this level.”We currently have players that haven’t done it at this level before or are still figuring things out. So it’s concerning because we’re lacking goals and creativity, and he’s a hardworking player as well.”

While not as productive as his greatest days at Blackburn, Brereton Diaz had began to look sharp at Derby, scoring eight goals and assisting three times in 41 games across all competitions last season.

Importantly, he played 3,159 minutes, more than doubling his total from 1,603 at Southampton and Sheffield United the previous year.

Woodward continued, “He’s a big miss, but there’s nothing we can do about it. We just have to keep going, and hopefully the players we’ve brought in will perform well, but it’s still a problem.”

Brereton Diaz brought proven championship quality to Derby County.

Before joining the Rams last season, Brereton Diaz spent a substantial amount of his career in the second tier and is well-versed in the division.

His finest individual season came with Blackburn in 2021/22, and he helped Sheffield United reach the play-off final in 2025, scoring four goals and providing three assists.

His numbers would not jump at Derby, but he was finally getting back to his best after a disappointing spell at Villarreal.

Ben Brereton Diaz at Derby in 2025-26

Championship appearances.

40

Starts

39

Goals

7

Assists: 3 Goal contributions.

10

He’d been a regular starter at Pride Park, and his versatility made him a valuable asset across the frontline under Eustace’s system.

The Rams scored 67 times last season on their route to seventh place, with Brereton Diaz contributing 10 of them.

And now, if they want to be in and around the play-offs again, they must replace those goals, which seemed difficult in the early stages of the season.

Derby County must find goals without Brereton Diaz.

The Rams have scored just five goals in their first six Championship games, two of which came in a 2-0 win away to Portsmouth.

Otherwise, Eustace’s side is winless, while Derby has suffered three defeats without scoring in the early stages of the season.

Wednesday’s defeat to West Brom was especially painful, as the visitors played with ten men for over an hour while the Rams failed to score.

Brereton Diaz’s return would have made sense. He is familiar with the management, the system, and everything else about the club, having had a far better season the previous time around.

However, he decided to return to Sheffield United, which is disheartening for Derby fans who have watched their team battle for goals.