Will Derby County’s spending pay off?

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Tom Ince – £5.03m

Ince had been expected to sign for the Rams after a very successful loan spell with the club towards the end of the 2014/15 season, maintaining a level of quality during Derby’s alarming slide down the table, scoring 11 goals from February to May. The son of former England international Paul Ince, Tom had found himself out of favour at Hull City ever since he had signed for the Humberside club and claimed to find Derby as his natural home after his successful loan spell. It was another transfer saga between two promotion chasing clubs to have Ince in their squad, with Hull doing everything in their power to stop Ince from leaving, but being powerless to keep the 23 year old winger. Ince hasn’t yet lived up to his billing after last season’s performances, only showing his quality in fits and starts, notching up 8 goals in the process. He has mostly been an ever present in the Rams squad, but hasn’t really got going, aside from a run of 5 goals in 4 games during November/December, including a hat trick at home to Bristol City. A large price tag for the youngster to live up to, but he has plenty of time to do so.

Abdoul Camara – £1.28m

Camara came in during the January transfer window, to add some pace to the Rams’ line up – something that would be expected given the French-Guinean’s accolade of ‘the fastest player in France’. Camara – or ‘Razza’ to the Derby faithful (coming from Camara’s middle name of Razzagui) – quickly became a fans favourite, with his pace and skill being a breeze of fresh air in a Derby side that had become stagnant during December. He set up Darren Bent’s last minute winner away at Hartlepool in the FA Cup on his debut but has since found starts hard to come by, only getting a chance in substitute appearances. The jury is still out on Camara however, with plenty more to come from the winger before the season is out.

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Andreas Weimann – £2.85m

The Aston Villa attacker came in over the Summer with much fanfare, but still split opinion between Rams fans before a ball had been kicked. The Austrian had proven himself in the Premier League over his 100+ appearances for Villa, scoring 17 goals for the Birmingham based club. However, Derby fans were sceptical over his £2.85m price tag and questioned why a player worth so much was signed without much competition. Weimann has been in and out of the Rams’ squad over the course of the season, periodically holding down a place but, with Derby’s plethora of wingers, competition for places has been high and despite Weimann mostly impressing and chipping in with 3 goals over the course of the season. ‘Andi’ still has a lot to prove, but at the tender age of 24, he’s still yet to reach his prime.

Nick Blackman – £2.55m 

Another signing coming in from Reading this season, Blackman arrived during January for a fee that could be up to £2.55m. The Rams pursuit of the 12 goal striker was fairly short, with the Royals keen to cash in on a striker that was out of contract in the summer before he left on a free. His career has only really taken off this season, with the striker hardly being prolific in previous seasons. However, with the Rams out and out strikers only being talisman Chris Martin and experienced Darren Bent, Derby needed to bolster their striking options and a striker with 12 goals this season seemed like a good bet. As with Olsson and Camara, it is too early to truly judge the Salford born attacker, particularly as he’s been playing on the wing out of his natural position of striker, though he has looked dangerous at times in recent matches.

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Darren Bent – Free Transfer

As with Tom Ince, Bent joined Derby after an impressive loan spell at the end of 2014/15 season, scoring 10 goals as the Rams tried to halt their slide out of the top 6. The former England striker seemed desperate to leave his Villa career behind and Derby seemed to be the perfect place for Bent to make his new home. Despite it being obvious that Martin would be Derby’s main striker, Bent has still disappointed in the substitute appearances he has made. He scored in a 3-1 victory away at MK Dons and the winner in the 2-1 victory at Hartlepool in the FA Cup, but has looked a shadow of his former self, not getting in the dangerous positions and poaching as we all know he can. Time seems to be against Bent, as Derby’s style doesn’t suit how Bent plays, particularly with only one striker spot being up for grabs between three strikers. Bent may still have an important part to play this season, however, with his eye for goal being an excellent outlet for any team.

It remains to be seen whether chairman Mel Morris’ investment will pay off, if Derby don’t go up this season then questions may be asked of the squad, as unjust as that may seem. The Rams have shown glimpses of what they are capable of this season and there’s no reason why they can’t be promoted automatically as long as they kick into gear soon. The question can only really be answered in the coming years, as we see how far this squad can really go.

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