Mark Warburton suggests he wanted Cameron Jerome at Nottingham Forest

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Cameron Jerome joined Derby County from Norwich City in the January transfer window.

Mark Warburton has suggested to The Times that he wanted to sign Cameron Jerome for Nottingham Forest before he joined Derby County from Norwich City.

Jerome moved to Derby from Championship rivals Norwich in the January transfer window for a transfer fee reported by The Derby Telegraph to be worth £1.5 million.

Warburton, who was the manager of Forest from March 2017 until New Year’s Eve, has suggested that he wanted to sign the 31-year-old former Cardiff City and Birmingham City striker when he was in charge of the Reds.

The former Rangers boss told The Times: “If the expectation is to get promoted or be in the top six you have to spend that money. I’d have said, ‘Buy Cameron Jerome’.

“We were quoted very similar figures to what he went to Derby for, which would have smashed our wage bill, but if the target is immediate promotion that’s what you do.”

Move on

Jerome knows the Championship inside out, and the 31-year-old striker could prove to be a good signing in the final weeks of the season.

The former England Under-21 international has scored one goal in nine Championship appearances for Derby so far this season.

Forest, though, need to move on, and with Aitor Karanka now in charge of the Reds, the fans should be optimistic of a bright future.

Karanka showed what he is capable of when he was at Middlesbrough, and if the Spaniard is backed in the summer of 2018, then he could guide Forest to the Championship playoffs next season.