The Watford striker scored a wondergoal in the FA Cup this weekend and caught Derby County’s eye in the process
Jordan Rhodes’ tally of 83 goals in 159 Championship appearances means Derby County’s decision to end their interest in the Middlesbrough striker appears little more than madness. After all, only two sides in the Championship, and none in the top seventeen, have scored fewer than Steve McClaren’s Rams in 2016/17.
Nonetheless, The Sun reported recently that a Middlesbrough striker would indeed by arriving at the iPro this January. However, few expected David Nugent, rather than Rhodes, to end the month posing in Derby white. As it stands, the veteran striker looks likely to return to his natural second tier surroundings to help spearhead The Rams’ play-off push – and he may not be alone.
According to the Daily Mirror, Watford are ready to let 20-year-old striker Jerome Sinclair hone his considerable talents away from the Premier League, with Ipswich Town and Derby mentioned as potential temporary destinations.
And, if any Rams fans caught sight of Sinclair’s moment of magic on FA Cup weekend, driving past bamboozled Burton Albion defenders before thumping into the corner, they won’t need telling why McClaren is so supposedly interested.
Furthermore, although Sinclair has only 148 minutes of senior league football to his name, he could yet prove a better fit for Derby than the arch-poacher Rhodes. Powerful and quick, the former Liverpool starlet has the physique and intelligence to hold up the ball, drift into the channels and combine with Tom Ince and co in deeper positions.
Darren Bent’s erratic form since signing suggests that functional forwards, such as Chris Martin, suit Derby’s tactical set up far more comfortably than out-and-out goalscorers, a la Rhodes.
And, although Sinclair will be expected to hit the net once or twice, it’s his all-round game that could make the difference in the second half of the season.
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