The 1997–98 English football season was Derby County's second consecutive season in the FA Premier League (known as the FA Carling Premiership for sponsorship reasons). Season summary Derby County began life at their new stadium by progressing further on the previous season's solid 12th-place finish. Jim Smith's team emerged as surprise contenders for a UEFA Cup place, and European qualification (for the first time in over 20 years) was still a possibility on the final day of the season. But results didn't go Derby's way, and that final European place went to Aston Villa. The end-of-season arrival of Argentine defender Horacio Carbonari gave Derby fans fresh hope of challenging for a place in Europe. Final league table Results summary Results by round Results Derby County's score comes first Legend FA Premier League FA Cup League Cup First-team squad Squad at end of season Left club during season Reserve squad Transfers In Out Transfers in: £6,000,000 Transfers out: £3,535,000 Total spending: £2,465,000 Notes References Derby County F.C. seasons Derby County