Derby County are now preparing for life in League One following their relegation from the Championship.

The Rams suffered the drop following a 21-point penalty deduction due to going into administration in September.

That made Wayne Rooney’s task to keep the club in the second division incredibly difficult.

Despite that setback, the 36-year old almost helped to steer the team away from the bottom three in the table.

However, it was ultimately too insurmountable a task and thus the club was sent down to the third division, with the team eventually finishing 23rd in the table.

With so much uncertainty still surrounding the financial health of the side, it will likely be another difficult campaign ahead for the Rams.

Financial issues have arisen with help from overspending on underwhelming transfer targets over the last few years, among other reasons.

Here are eight of the most underwhelming Derby signings from recent times, and where they are now… 

It was reported that Debry signed the Polish player for a fee of £3.4 million, but in his time with the Rams he started only 43 games across a season and a half.

One goal and two assists was also a pretty unremarkable return from the playmaker and his departure was inevitable once the financial ruin of the club was laid bare.

The 24-year old left in the 2022 January transfer window and now plays for MLS side Charlotte FC.

Ibe arrived from Bournemouth on a free transfer in 2020 and while his time at the Vitality left a lot to be desired there was still more expected of the forward than what was seen at Pride Park.

The ex-Liverpool player appeared as a substitute once for the Rams in what was a difficult period for the 26-year old.

A return to Pride Park coincided with a battle with depression that left Ibe out of sorts and unable to compete for Derby.

He now plays for Adanaspor in Turkey.

Thorne signed for Derby on a permanent basis for an undisclosed fee in 2014 having previously helped the team to the play-off final while on loan.

But he was unable to replicate his good form under Steve McClaren following his permanent signature.

The now 29-year old suffered a cruciate knee ligament injury shortly after his arrival which stunted his growth as a player and saw him unable to recover his good form at Pride Park.

Thorne ultimately left in 2020 following a couple of loan deals and currently competes in League One for Oxford United.

Marriott initially joined Derby for a reported fee of £3 million rising to £5 million, but it is difficult to imagine the add-ons were ever triggered given how his time at Pride Park ultimately went.

The forward arrived from Peterborough United, where he had performed well, scoring 27 goals in his one season with the Posh.

However, he ultimately returned to United on a free in 2021, scoring only 10 league goals in three seasons playing for the Rams.

Jozefzoon signed for a reported fee of £2.75 million from Brentford in 2018 on a three-year contract.

During that three-year period, the Dutch winger started 19 times and departed for Rotherham United.

The 31-year old now plays in France for Ligue 2 side Quevilly-Rouen, who narrowly avoided relegation with a play-off win, following an 18th place finish in the league.

The former Derby man played 24 times for the club as they won a two-legged tie to remain in the second division.

Weimann arrived as a big name signing from Aston Villa in a fee reported to cost the Rams up to £2 million in 2015.

It was a disappointing first season at Pride Park, in which the Austrian started only 12 league games and scored four times.

Upon his return from a loan stint at Wolves, the forward eventually showed some signs of promise when he scored five goals and earned six assists in his final campaign with the club.

But that signalled the end of his time at Derby as he left for Bristol City, where he currently plays under Nigel Pearson in the Championship.

Jerome arrived at Derby for a reported fee of £1.9 million in 2018 from Norwich City.

In one season at Pride Park, the forward played 18 times, with only eight of those league appearances coming from the start.

The ex-Stoke City player quickly departed for Turkish football, with Goztepe signing the now 35-year old. He played there for two seasons.

Jerome has since returned to English football and currently competes for Championship side Luton Town.

A reported transfer fee of £4 million saw Anya move to Derby County on deadline day in August 2016.

His time at Pride Park did not culminate in anything special, appearing only 33 times in the Championship, with just 17 of those coming from the start.

The forward scored one goal in that time and earned four assists.

Anya’s time at Derby came to an end in 2020 and he has yet to find a new club since.