Eiran Cashin

Eiran Joe Cashin (born 9 November 2001) is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for club Derby County, on loan from club Brighton & Hove Albion. Born in England, he was a youth international for the Republic of Ireland.

Cashin joined Derby County's academy and in 2018–19 was a part of Derby's U18 Premier League title success. In 2020, Cashin signed his first professional contract for Derby and in December 2021, he made his first team debut. He was named in the League One Team of the Season for 2023–24.

In January 2025, after 144 appearances and six goals for Derby, Cashin joined Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion. He has had loan spells at Birmingham City, Blackburn Rovers and Derby County whilst at Brighton.

Born in Nottinghamshire, Cashin is eligible to represent Republic of Ireland through his grandmother and Cashin has been capped at under-18 and under-21 level for the Republic.

Club career 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. Cashin was during the 2018–19 season, a part of Derby's U18 Premier League title success. Despite being very close to being released by the club due to COVID-19 concerns, Cashin signed his first professional contract with the club in the summer of 2020. 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. His first goal in senior football came on 30 April 2022, in a 2–0 win away to Blackpool. He played a total of eighteen league matches during the season, as Derby were eventually relegated to League One. 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.

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. 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. Warne told Cashin on 27 December 2023 that he was not for sale.

On 2 February 2024, he signed another new contract, extending his contract until June 2027. 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. Cashin also won back-to-back Young Player of Year awards at Derby.

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. 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". On 13 December 2024, Cashin scored his first and only goal for Derby in the 2024–25 season in a 4–0 win over Portsmouth. Cashin suffered a hamstring injury in the same match, which ruled him out of action for a month. Cashin made a total of 22 appearances for Derby during the season. Cashin made a total of 144 appearances for Derby during his career at the club, scoring six goals. Just over two months later on 2 April, Cashin made his debut for Brighton as a substitute for club captain Lewis Dunk in a 0–3 loss against Aston Villa.

Birmingham City (loan) On 25 July 2025, Cashin moved to Birmingham City on a season-long loan deal until the end of the 2025–26 season. Cashin was recalled on 6 January 2026. During his loan spell, he made 13 appearances for the Blues.

Blackburn Rovers (loan) On 6 January 2026, Cashin joined Blackburn Rovers on a short-term loan until the end of the 2025–26 season. On 3 February, Cashin scored his first goal since 2024 in a 1–0 win over Sheffield Wednesday. On 19 May, the club announced that Cashin had returned to Brighton following the conclusion of his loan spell.

Derby County (loan) He re-joined former club Derby County on loan on 1 September 2026.

International career Born in England, Cashin is a youth international for the Republic of Ireland. He qualifies through a grandmother born in County Leitrim.

He played for the Republic of Ireland U18s in a 4–0 loss to the Turkey U18s in March 2019.

On 6 June 2022, Cashin made his debut for the Republic of Ireland U21 team, assisting the second goal in a 3–1 win over Montenegro U21 at Tallaght Stadium.

On 5 May 2026, Cashin was called-up to the Republic of Ireland senior team for a friendly against Grenada in Murcia, Spain.

Style of play Cashin is a central defender who is strong in aerial duels. He is known for breaking up attacks from the opposition with interceptions and good defensive positioning. Cashin has scored several headed goals from set pieces. He was adaptable in League One as he moved from a slow-possession based system under Liam Rosenior to a faster more direct system under Paul Warne.

Career statistics + Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals

2021–22 Championship

2022–23 League One

2023–24 League One

2024–25 Championship

126!!6!!7!!0!!4!!0!!7!!0!!144!!6

2024–25 Premier League

2026–27 Premier League

2!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!2!!0 Birmingham City (loan) 2025–26 Championship

Blackburn Rovers (loan) 2025–26 Championship

Derby County (loan) 2026–27 2023–24 EFL League One Team of the Season: 2023–24 PFA Team of the Year: 2023–24 League One