John Eustace hopes Derby County progress can boost summer transfer quest

Derby face QPR this weekend with their top six hopes still intact but need to win and hope Wrexham and Hull both drop points to take the fight into the final day of the season.

A top-half finish is guaranteed regardless of that outcome, however, which is incredible progress for a team who this time last year were battling to avoid relegation.

Hopes are high that they can take another step towards the promised land under Eustace, who has done an excellent job since his appointment last February.

And with Derby having recruited some excellent players this season, Eustace believes that more will want to follow suit.

"If you look at the quality of players we have attracted already in Ben Brereton Diaz, Sam Szmodics, Lewis Travis, Bobby and Carlton Morris, these are all, apart from Clark, seasoned Championship winners," he said.

"They know the league inside out, and possibly we wouldn't have been able to get those players a year ago when we were first back into the Championship.

"They speak to other players in dressing rooms in that Championship circle, so I'm sure that we'll be able to recruit the better players now who can come in and really make a difference for us.

"We've still got to get the right balance of the squad and the age profiles and exactly what players can help us.

"But I just think that we've been able to bring that kind of quality player to the group this year and that can only be a positive thing. Derby's on the way up.

"It's a fantastic arena to play and there's big pressure with 30,000 fans, four or five thousand away fans every week and that should really drive players on to want to come and be a part of that."

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