Patrick Agyemang says Derby County’s players cannot wait for the opportunity to return to action at Pride Park Stadium this weekend.
The Rams will host Leicester City in the Sky Bet Championship on Saturday lunchtime to kick off their busy December schedule (12:30pm kick-off).
The all-East Midlands clash will see a crowd of more than 30,000 supporters turn out to roar on John Eustace’s side on home turf as they look to build on their impressive return of six wins from their league eight league outings against a side that was in the Premier League last term.
United States of America international striker Agyemang joined the Rams from Major League Soccer side Charlotte FC in the summer and the 25-year-old has made an impact since forcing his way into the side in September after recovering from hernia surgery.
The frontman has netted three goals and registered a number of assists so far, with his latest strike coming in the early stages of the 2-1 loss at Middlesbrough last weekend.
Agyemang sat down with RamsTV to reflect on adapting to life in the Championship, his targets for the 2025/26 campaign and also look ahead to Saturday’s meeting with Leicester at Pride Park.
Reflecting on the loss at Middlesbrough last weekend…
There were some positives to take away from it but obviously it is a bit tricky because we know we could have seen the game out. To concede from two set-pieces isn’t ideal as we believe, as a team and a unit, we are strong defensively. It was a tough pill to swallow, but that is football. We have to reflect on it and move on. You can’t dwell on the past too much and if we could take things back in that last game, we would. We need to learn from it and apply it to the matches ahead.
On scoring his third goal of the season at the Riverside Stadium…
I feel myself and Lars are building a connection, which is good. Whenever he gets the ball, he knows I’ll be on the shoulder of the defender. It was all natural to link up and he just knew to play it into space, and I’d get there. Once I got ahead of the defender, I backed myself to score. To go and celebrate with the fans and the team was amazing. It was a good feeling, and we had more opportunities to score in what was a tricky game against a side at the top of the league.
On his time at Derby County so far…
It has been good. Everyone has helped me to adjust to everything. It was tough at the start and especially coming back from injury and dealing with the physicality of the league. I am still adjusting, if I am honest, but I know it will benefit my career. I feel I have got a decent understanding based on the games I have played now. I want to build on this and I have been enjoying it. This is a ruthless league; everyone wants to win, everyone wants points and the league is so tight. There are so many games, but it feels like the tempo never changes!
On his aims and targets for the season as an individual…
I do set myself targets for every season that I play. It is a personal thing and I want to achieve what I want to achieve. I am blessed to have three goals and three assists so far, but you always want more! For me, I focus on what I can control and take each day at a time. It hasn’t been easy, but I have a lot of trust from everyone and that makes it easier. For me, with these guys, I am sure as time goes it will click even more.
On facing Leicester City at Pride Park this weekend…
It is exciting; they have a lot of exciting players as well. It is a big opportunity for us to play at home in front of our fans and get that momentum rush again. We back ourselves as a group against any team we play against and if we focus on what we can control and take advantage of our opportunities, we will have a good shot at three points at home.
