Derby County’s January transfer window was a disappointing one, and John Eustace has been left to pick up the pieces following Paul Warne’s dismissal and his arrival at Pride Park Stadium.
The Rams missed out on several key targets in the winter and this has left them light in a number of positions for their final 13 games of the season, most notably in the attacking department.
Jerry Yates and Lars-Jorgen Salvesen are the only two senior striker options that Eustace has at his disposal, with Conor Washington not registered in the 25-player squad and Dajaune Brown out for the rest of the campaign with an injury.
James Collins was also allowed to depart for League One side Lincoln City, and he has had an excellent start to life as an Imp, while Derby continue to struggle in the Championship relegation zone.
Derby urged to not have any regrets over James Collins’ January transfer window departure
The 34-year-old was superb for the Rams in the third tier, scoring the goal that put a seal on promotion last season at Pride Park against Carlisle United in his now former side’s 2-0 win over the Blues.
However, the step-up to the Championship proved difficult, and with the arrival of Yates in the summer and then Salvesen in January, it was clear that Warne was looking for changes to his forward line.
Nevertheless, the club’s new head coach, Eustace, is looking to the free agent market to reinforce his attacking strength after there was a failure to do so in both the summer and winter windows.
Football League World has asked their Derby Fan Pundit, Shaun Woodward, if the Rams have any regret about letting Collins go last month.
Shaun told FLW: “No, I don’t think Derby are regretting the decision to let James Collins go. He needs to be playing games at his age, and at this stage of his career, there was no point in him sitting on the bench at Derby.
“Realistically, he’s not going to get in front of Jerry Yates or Lars-Jorgen Salvesen. So, he wasn’t benefiting the club or himself by sitting on the bench for us.”
Shaun continued: “I think it was best for all parties that he moved on. It’s great to see him scoring a few goals, but it is in League One and I genuinely don’t think he’s got the legs for the Championship anymore.
“But I wish him all the best.”
| James Collins Derby County stats by season (TransferMarkt) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Apps | Goals | Assists |
| 2022/23 | 42 | 12 | 2 |
| 2023/24 | 46 | 19 | 3 |
| 2024/25 | 20 | – | – |
Collins’ first half of the season showed that he did not have the quality for the Championship
Collins was handed a new contract at the start of the season for the 2024/25 campaign, but after playing 20 times, he showed that he was not quite up to the standard needed in the second tier.
He failed to find the back of the net for Derby before departing for Lincoln, with his biggest struggle being trying to get on the ball in good positions, with his appearances mostly coming during the final moments of matches.
However, with the Rams’ lack of cover, it can be said that he would be able to provide that if Salvesen or Yates suffers an injury in the final months of the season.
But, Collins has found himself a good home with the Imps and he has proven once again that he will score goals in League One when given the chance.
Discussion about this post