Derby fans are torn over potential return of Chris Martin

Follow us on Google Discover

With a change in management, could Chris Martin be set to return to the Ipro? Would Derby fans even want to see the Scot return?

Scotland’s Chris Martin applauds fans after the game

Sent out on deadline day on a season-long loan deal to Fulham, Chris Martin’s career at Derby appeared to be over. However, after the recent sacking of Nigel Pearson, who lasted just five months in the role, the Scot’s chances of returning to the Rams side have just been rekindled.

Derby’s manager Nigel Pearson

Under Nigel Pearson, Derby were utilising a 4-4-2 formation; a system which has not suited Martin in the past. However, under current boss Chris Powell, Derby appear to have switched back to their usual 4-3-3, a formation which suited the Scotsmen perfectly, and which he managed to score 20+ goals a season in for three years straight.

Derby’s Chris Martin shoots

With Pearson now gone, there is also likely to be a revitalisation in the Derby dressing room. A new opportunity for players, both in form and out of it, to prove that they are worthy of a place in the new manager’s staring eleven. With Derby desperate for goals, perhaps Martin could be just the man they need.

However, two problems present themselves here. Firstly, under transfer law, loans are not available for recall if a fee has been involved. Fulham have paid an amount, believed to be in the region of £3m, for Martin’s services this season, so it is unlikely that Rams fans will be seeing him return until at least the end of the season.

Derby’s Chris Martin and Johnny Russell look dejected

But would they want him back? Plenty at the Ipro were happy to see the strikers exit, and believe that his best years are firmly behind him, buried in the short-lived Steve McClaren era. With a run of over 20+ games without a goal, the statistics are certainly not in the Scotsmen’s favour. But could a return to the club he found so much success at, under new management, instil that spark Martin needs to rediscover his old form? Only time will tell.