Derby County midfielder Jason Knight is attaching interest from Championship clubs, with Bristol City interested in signing the Republic of Ireland international, according to reports from DerbyshireLive.
The news comes after his international manager suggested he plays at a higher level, with Knight spending the last five years with the Rams. After Derby triggered a 12-month option in his contract, a substantial fee would have to come in to allow him to leave, with the Robins one of several teams interested in doing that.
Who Is Jason Knight?
The 22-year-old signed for the Rams at the age of 16 after beginning his career with Irish club Cabinteely. From there, Knight has risen through the ranks of the League One side to the point of being a crucial player for the club.
Starting his time in England with Derby’s youth sides, the versatile midfielder made 56 appearances for the various youth teams. Finally getting the call-up to the first team in 2019, Knight and been a regular starter and played 166 times for the Rams.
Can Derby Afford To Lose Him?
With so many appearances for the club over the last four seasons, Knight has been a Swiss Army knife kind of player, being deployed in multiple roles. Replacing him would not be easy, however, with a huge fee needed for him to leave, Derby could find ways to reinvest into the team.
But at the end of the day, after narrowly missing out on the playoff this past season, losing the likes of David McGoldrick and Jason Knight would be detrimental.
Writer’s View
It’s not surprising to see Championships teams interested in Knight’s services, with Bristol City just being the first linked with him. Having already three seasons of experience in the division at such a young age, it will be hard for Derby to keep hold of him.
Unless he is loyal to the club and sees a vision for Derby to get themselves back to the top, Knight could be on the way out and that will be difficult to recover from.
