Todd Cantwell reacts as Derby announce permanent signing
Derby County announced on Wednesday that they have completed the permanent signing of Dion Sanderson.
The centre-back had been on loan from Birmingham City, with Sanderson previously joining the West Midlands side in 2023.
However, after losing his place in the starting XI, he was loaned out to the Rams at the start of the 2025-26 campaign, where he has quickly impressed in the Championship.
Therefore, with Derby eyeing additions to strengthen their position in the second tier, they have now swooped in to keep Sanderson permanently, much to the delight of Todd Cantwell.
Todd Cantwell reacts to Derby signing Dion Sanderson permanently
Cantwell has previously been Sanderson’s teammate at Blackburn Rovers, and it appears the duo are still on good terms.
When Derby announced on their Instagram page on 31 December that the defender had signed for the Rams permanently, the Rovers midfielder was quick to react.
The 27-year-old liked the post, being one of many footballers to react to the news.
Another former Blackburn player who also responded was Tyrhys Dolan, who currently plays for Espanyol.
The winger commented with two fire emojis, with Sanderson now set to stay at Pride Park until the summer of 2028.
Who else are Derby linked with in the January transfer window?
With Derby in need of reinforcements, the Rams have recently been linked to LASK left-back George Bello.
The USA international has been in fine form and was voted into the Austrian Bundesliga team of the mid-season.
- Derby are currently 14th in the Championship
- The Rams are six points off the playoffs, with a poor run of form seeing them drop down the table
- However, Derby could see themselves back in the race for promotion with a good transfer window
Rafiu Durosinmi has also been linked with a move to Derby County, having impressed at Czech side Viktoria Plzen.
However, this deal may be hard to complete, with West Ham, Stuttgart and Lazio since submitting £12million bids for the Nigerian striker.
Nevertheless, it remains to be seen who else comes into Pride Park over the coming weeks, as they look to mount a surprise promotion push.