Derby County’s reported interest in Aston Villa’s Ross McCormack could turn them into promotion contenders

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If Ross McCormack is on song, there are few better strikers in the Championship – no wonder Derby County are so keen.

It doesn’t take a genius, or a handsomely paid football coach, to realise where the crux of Derby County’s problems lay last season. With 54 goals to their name in 46 league appearances, The Rams scored fewer times than any other team in the top half last season.

Even Nottingham Forest, who only survived by virtue of a better goal difference than Blackburn Rovers, hit the back of the net on a more regular basis.

Derby County manager Gary Rowett needs a goalscorer

And, so far this summer, Derby are yet to rectify the issue. Far from it. Andre Wisdom and Curtis Davies, arriving from Liverpool and Hull respectively, are paid to keep goals out rather than score them at the other end.

Meanwhile, deep lying playmaker Tom Huddlestone has tallied just 15 goals in a 380-game league career. Add to this the fact that Derby sold last season’s top scorer, winger Tom Ince, to Huddersfield Town and manager Gary Rowett has a major problem heading into the new season.

Therefore, it’s perhaps no surprise that a club desperate for a goalscorer are prepared to take a risk on one of the Championship’s most lethal hitmen in the last few years, as reported by TEAMtalk.

Fresh start?

Ross McCormack may have endured a nightmare year both on and off the pitch since swapping Fulham for Aston Villa for £12 million last summer (BBC), scoring just three times in 20 games before failing to make an impression during a loan spell at Nottingham Forest.

This annus horribilis may have damaged the Scot’s reputation but his outstanding displays for Cardiff, Leeds and Fulham should not be forgotten. McCormack scored more than 15 league goals in five of the last eight seasons and it would be ridiculous to throw him on the scrapheap after one poor campaign.

Ross McCormack needs a fresh start after his Villa nightmare

The Sunderland Echo reports that Villa would prefer to sell McCormack permanently but will also consider loan offers to get him off their wage bill.

It is far from a no-brainer but, on loan, McCormack is certainly worth the risk for Derby.