The Rams, whose goal tally is the Championship’s lowest this season, allowed their three-time top scorer Chris Martin to join Fulham.
Virgo in his Brighton days
Adam Virgo has criticised Derby County’s summer business in his column for the Football League Paper (page 12).
The Rams, who have lost in the play-offs in two of the past three Championship seasons, experienced a largely quiet summer.
But having failed to sign a single player until 11 days before the window was due to close, Nigel Pearson’s side sprang into life, bringing in four new faces in total.
Pearson
The captures of strikers James Wilson (loan) and Matej Vydra, who cost a club-record £8 million from Watford, were followed by those of winger Ikechi Anya and goalkeeper Chris Weale, with Jeff Hendrick, Lee Grant and Chris Martin all making way.
But it is Pearson’s decision to transform his front line of which Virgo, the former lower league stalwart turned pundit, is most critical, with Derby having scored two goals – four fewer than any other side – in this season’s Championship.
Discussing the Rams’ shortage of goals, Virgo wrote in his column for the Football League Paper: “Will Matej Vydra address the issue? I don’t think so. Yes, the Czech is a former Championship player of the year, whose record of 38 goals in 92 games for the Hornets deserves respect. But those goals all came playing off Troy Deeney.
Vydra
“At West Brom, and at Reading last year, he flopped badly. The 24-year-old has had only one genuinely prolific season and that was four years ago. He is no sure thing.”
He added: “Personally, I don’t see anyone who’ll get you ten goals a season, which makes the departure of Chris Martin to Fulham all the more baffling.”
Martin, who finished as top scorer in each of Derby’s last three league campaigns, has signed for the Cottagers on a season-long loan, leaving behind fellow strikers Darren Bent, Andi Weimann and Nick Blackman.
Martin (right)
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