Report: Derby County want to sign free agent Colin Kazim-Richards

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Championship outfit Derby County are considering a surprise move to sign Colin Kazim-Richards, according to the Daily Mail.

Boss Phillip Cocu is desperate to add some firepower to his ranks and has turned to the Turkey international.

Kazim-Richards has been training with the East Midlands-based outfit and could be offered something.

The 34-year-old is thought to be a free agent so the Rams wouldn’t be under pressure to sign him before tomorrow’s deadline.

It would represent a surprise addition though, with Kazim-Richards having not played in England for some time.

The man with 37 caps for Turkey left Blackburn in 2013 and has since played for a number of clubs in Turkey, Holland, Brazil and more recently Mexico.

He signed for Pachuca in January, playing four times and scoring one goal before being released by the club.

Kazim-Richards has played for Sheffield United, Brighton, Blackburn and Bury in England, whilst he also spent some time at Celtic.

Derby beat Norwich 1-0 prior to the international break but lost their previous three Championship fixtures.

The Rams have been linked with several strikers this summer and were reportedly in talks with Charlie Austin.

A move to sign the West Brom striker seems to have stalled and that deal is one that would need to be completed by tomorrow.

Kazim-Richards is something of a left-field option and isn’t likely to excite supporters.

Derby have Jack Marriott and Martyn Waghorn as strikers, with the latter yet to play this season because of injury.

Wayner Rooney has been utilised as a striker during the current campaign and it remains to be seen if reinforcements can be added.

TBR View – Derby should swerve Kazim-Richards

Signing the former Turkey international just doesn’t make any sense for the Rams.

As a club with ambitions of competing in the Premier League, they simply need to target a bigger name.

Marriott and Waghorn are both proven performers at this level and if they can’t sign anyone they should go with what they have.

At 34, Kazim-Richards doesn’t fit in with the ethos of producing quality youngsters and he’s a signing they shouldn’t pursue.