Derby County captain Richard Keogh has revealed that he nearly joined Leeds United instead of the Rams when he left Coventry City in 2012.

The 33-year-old arrived at Pride Park in July 2012 for a fee reported to be in excess of £1 million and was given the captain’s armband the day after he signed for the club.

He has gone on to make 355 appearances for the Rams and has been integral this season, playing in every minute of every Championship game under Phillip Cocu so far.

He looks set to lead Derby out against Leeds United at Elland Road on Saturday but it seems that had things gone a little differently he could be lining up for the opposition.

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Speaking to The Athletic, Keogh revealed that he was close to joining the Whites when he left Coventry in 2012.

He explained: “Leeds were potentially about to be taken over, and Neil [Warnock] told me he needed a bit more time. I told Leeds that if they had a bid accepted [by Coventry] then I’d talk to them.

“But I always felt Derby was the right fit for me and the right step in my career. We’ve been a good fit so far.”

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The Irishman captained the Rams to their 4-2 play-off win over Leeds at Elland Road, and took part in the slightly controversial post-match celebrations, just over four months ago.

Saturday’s game is the first meeting between the two sides since then and promises to be a tasty affair.

The Verdict

Keogh has been synonymous with Derby over the past seven years and it is strange to think how different things might’ve been had he moved to West Yorkshire rather than the East Midlands.

After the Spygate saga and the play-off victory, the central defender is unlikely to have many fans at Leeds and it should be a hostile atmosphere at Elland Road on Saturday lunchtime.

Given the way the two sides have started the season, it looks as though it is going to be tough for the Rams to come away from this one with a result.

They’re 19th in the Championship and have won just once all season, so it doesn’t look like the best time to come up against the top-of-the-league Whites.

However, Leeds have won just once in their last seven games at home and this is likely to be a high-emotion tie, so anything could happen.