Following Tom Ince’s departure to Huddersfield, Derby are reportedly targeting Leicester’s Tom Lawrence as a replacement.
Derby County manager Gary Rowett appears to have moved quickly to replace Tom Ince following the winger’s departure for Huddersfield Town.
According to the Sun, Rowett is interested in bringing Leicester City forward Tom Lawrence to Pride Park in a deal that would be worth £7m.
Tom Ince celebrates scoring Derby’s second goal
Ince has played a big role for Derby since joining the club, initially on loan before making it permanent the following summer, from Hull City in February 2015.
During two-and-a-half years with the Championship club the 25-year-old scored 38 goals and provided 17 assists in 115 matches in all competitions. In 2016/17 it was 15 strikes and seven assists in 50 games.
That is a tally that Lawrence – two years Ince’s junior – can match, with 11 goals and 11 assists for the Foxes man in 39 appearances during a productive year on loan with Ipswich Town.
The Manchester United academy graduate can also operate in a variety of roles in the final third, playing in Ince’s favoured right-wing role for the Tractor Boys, as well as on the left, as a centre forward, or just behind the main striker. Versatility is certainly the word.
What Lawrence boasts in youth and adaptability, he falls down on in terms of experience in comparison to Huddersfield’s new signing, though. While Ince has 211 Championship matches under his belt, the man replacing him has just 94 – which in fairness still hardly makes him a rookie.
Tom Lawrence of Ipswich Town scores their first goal
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