By Oluwadamilola Olaleye
Derby County have confirmed the return of Nigeria-eligible midfielder David Ozoh on a season-long loan from Crystal Palace for the 2025/26 campaign.
The 20-year-old re-joins the Rams after spending last season at Pride Park, where he impressed in the early stages before an injury disrupted his momentum. He made 12 appearances during the 2024/25 season, earning praise for his composure and maturity in midfield.
Ozoh made a strong start to that loan spell, scoring his first professional goal in a 3–0 win over Bristol City in August, having also found the net during a pre-season friendly against Real Valladolid.
A product of the Crystal Palace Academy, Ozoh featured 12 times for the Eagles in the 2023/24 campaign, including nine Premier League appearances. He has also participated in the club’s current pre-season preparations before sealing his return to Derby.
The move is aimed at furthering his development with regular first-team football, as Derby continue to strengthen their squad ahead of the new season.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
