Derby County’s Nick Blackman could be heading for the exit door this summer.
According to a recent poll conducted on social networking site Twitter, 78 per cent of the Derby County fans who participated would like to see the club sell striker Nick Blackman this summer.
The 28-year-old was one of former boss Paul Clement’s last signings for the club, arriving from fellow Championship side Reading in January 2016 in a deal that had many scratching their head.
Blackman at the time was one of the Championship’s leading scorers, netting 11 goals in 25 games, but his style and best position as a wide right forward was already occupied by Tom Ince.
As such, the former Reading man was often played out of position, subsequently denting his chances of making an impression, and fans soon began to lose patience as Blackman went 15 games without finding the net.
Derby have since strengthened their striker options with the likes of David Nugent, Matej Vydra and Sam Winnall (loan) joining the club, prompting the Rams to send Blackman out on loan at Isreali side Maccabi Tel-Aviv.
To his credit, Blackman has embraced the challenge of playing abroad and his record to date is not too shabby, netting ten goals and grabbing a further five assists in 33 games for the Isreali club.
Having said that, the majority of those Derby fans who voted have no interest in seeing him put on the Rams shirt again and believe boss Gary Rowett should look to move him on this summer.
The player will have one more year on his contract, therefore it is unlikely Derby will get much of a fee for him but saving on his wages is probably more important as Rowett will look to re-shape the squad this summer.
Blackman is not a bad player, but he joined Derby in difficult circumstances and a move will probably be best for all parties involved.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
