Derby County have a history of making poor transfer decisions on the final day of the window, but no other deadline day can compete with that of August 31, 2016.
The Rams began the 2016/17 season poorly, winning just once in their first five games of the season, losing two and drawing 0-0 with Aston Villa and Brighton & Hove Albion.
Derby were 18th in the Championship following this less than inspiring start, having scored just one goal in a 1-0 victory away to Preston North End.
Nigel Pearson needed to make an impact with marquee signings, and after capturing Matej Vydra for a club record £8 million at the time, the Rams wanted to make more moves on deadline day.
However, what followed proved to be disastrous in years to come, losing a key player and academy graduate in Jeff Hendrick to Burnley, while they overspent on Watford’s Ikechi Anya, with the former Scotland international making just 38 appearances in the next four years.
The Rams bought Anya for £4 million from Premier League Watford, with the 28-year-old signing a bumper £27,500-a-week contract for four years.
On the same day, Derby off-loaded Hendrick to the Clarets for a fee that was believed to be £10.5 million. The Irishman spent six years in-and-around the first-team at Turf Moor, scoring the winner against Nottingham Forest in just his seventh start.
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