Goalkeeper Jason Steele was expected to swap Sunderland for Championship high-flyers Derby County on transfer deadline day.
Jason Steele was expected to be a Derby County player this month.
According to the Chronicle, the goalkeeper had even travelled to Pride Park on transfer deadline day in order to seal a move from Sunderland. However, the deal fell through at the eleventh hour as Derby suddenly changed the terms of the deal.
It is understood that Steele, who joined Sunderland from Blackburn Rovers last summer, was due to sign on loan with the deal set to become permanent if Derby sealed promotion to the Premier League.
With Gary Rowett’s side sitting second in the table as things stand, there is a good chance of that happening.
But the Chronicle claims Derby then decided they did not want to include that permanent option in the deal and instead only wanted Steele for the rest of the 2017/18 campaign. As such, the deal fell apart and the former Team GB Olympic goalkeeper returned to the Stadium of Light.
Derby had spent the last few days of the transfer window looking for an experienced goalkeeper to provide back-up to Scott Carson.
But, after a deal to reunite Tomasz Kuszczak with his former Birmingham City boss Gary Rowett also fell through, Derby will now be praying that Carson remains on top of his game and fully fit for the rest of what is shaping up to be a very successful season.
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