Derby County
A youth product of Derby County, Cashin first played as a central midfielder for the academy, before being converted to a central defender. [2] Cashin was during the 2018–19 season, a part of Derby's U18 Premier League title success. [3] Despite being very close to being released by the club due to COVID-19 concerns, [4] Cashin signed his first professional contract with the club in the summer of 2020. [5] During the 2020–21 season, Cashin started to feature in first team matchday squads under Wayne Rooney, as well as his role in the under-23 team. [2]
During the 2021–22 season, Cashin broke into the first team. However, his debut for the first team was delayed to the EFL squad registration restrictions due to Derby's administration. [2] He made his professional debut with Derby County on 11 December 2021, coming on as a late substitute in a 1–0 EFL Championship win over Blackpool. [6] His first goal in senior football came on 30 April 2022, in a 2–0 win away to Blackpool. [7] He played a total amount of eighteen league matches during the season, as Derby were eventually relegated to League One. [2] Cashin thanked Rooney for his loyalty in giving him his first taste of first team action in a difficult season for the club. [2]
On 2 July 2022, following Derby's takeover by Clowes Developments, Cashin was able to extend his contract with the club until 2024. [8] He was a first team regular during the 2022–23 season, making 52 appearances and scoring one goal (against Charlton Athletic) as he was named the club's Young Player of the Year. [9] Cashin played the last six games of the season with a hernia injury, as Derby fell short of the play-offs by a point and a place. [10]
Cashin went into the 2023–24 season once again as the club's first choice central defender and in the summer transfer window was linked with a transfer to Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion who had multiple bids rejected in July and August 2023, head coach Paul Warne stating that these bids did not match Derby's valuation. [11] Brighton did match Derby's valuation at the end of the transfer window on 1 September 2023, but the transfer did not occur due to inadequate time to find a replacement or arrange a loan back deal for Cashin. [12] Cashin was not named in Derby's starting lineup the following day against Bolton Wanderers due to arriving at the team hotel 2am the night before the game. [12] In a March 2024 interview for the Derby Telegraph , Cashin stated that he had spent six hours in a Starbucks coffee shop near Little Eaton unsure whether he was going to Brighton to complete a transfer or to Bolton for Derby's match the following day. [10] Cashin stated that Warne was gutted for him that this "life-changing opportunity" had broken down but told Cashin to keep his head down and focus on the season ahead at Derby. [10]
On 23 November 2023, amid speculation that a bigger club might put in an offer for the player, Warne said Cashin would be offered a new contract. [13] Warne told Cashin on 27 December 2023 that he was not for sale. [2] Derby activated a one-year extension clause on Cashin's contract on 1 January 2024, to extend his contract until June 2025 and stated that the player was not for sale in the January transfer window; he also made his 100th senior appearance for Derby on the same day. [14] On 2 February 2024, he signed another new contract, extending his contract until June 2027. [15] He stated later on that he went into January with an open mind over his future but once he received the contract offer, said it was a "no-brainer" to sign. [10] Cashin and his central defensive partner Curtis Nelson, were one of the strongest and most reliable defensive partnerships in League One during this season as their relationship and trust in each other showed on the field. [2] Cashin with these performances was named in the League One Team of the Year in the 2024 EFL Awards for the 2023–24 season, [16] he also featured in the PFA League One Team of the Year. [17] He played 44 times in the league with, statistically, one of the strongest defences during this season, with Derby chalking up 21 league clean sheets whilst Cashin was on the pitch. [18] Cashin also won back-to-back Young Player of Year awards at Derby. [19] He made 52 appearances in total for Derby during the season as Derby finished runners-up in the division and earned automatically promotion to the Championship. [20]
For the 2024–25 season, Cashin was once again a first choice at centre-back for Derby, but would miss three games with a concussion picked up against Middlesbrough on 17 August 2024. [21] On 1 October 2024, Cashin became captain of Derby County for the first time against Sunderland, later stating that captaining the side at age of 22 was an "honour". [22]
