Derby County has seen strong goal-scoring performances this season, especially from James Collins with 13 league goals. Despite Dwight Gayle’s initial contribution of three goals in six League One games before an injury setback, the team is hoping for a successful promotion to the Championship. However, they’ll likely be cautious with spending, wary of repeating past transfer mistakes like the one in 2007.
Robert Earnshaw’s time at Derby
Robert Earnshaw arrived at Pride Park with high expectations, having scored 17 goals in 50 appearances for West Bromwich Albion and an impressive 27 goals in just 47 appearances for Norwich City before that. Derby likely anticipated him becoming an instant hero given his prolific scoring record.
The grim reality reveals that the £4.6m signing only managed two goals for Derby before moving to Nottingham Forest. Adding to the sting, Earnshaw became a standout for Derby’s rivals, often scoring against them. When considering inflation via TotallyMoney’s Transfer Index, this blunder becomes an even costlier mistake, highlighting the financial impact of the mishap.
Robert Earnshaw’s transfer value in 2024
If such a transfer were to occur now, the Welshman would command a hefty £11.9m fee, according to Totally Money. This would make him Derby’s most expensive signing, surpassing Matej Vydra, who is still fondly remembered for his 27 goals in 80 appearances.
| Top five record Derby arrivals | |
|---|---|
| 1. Matej Vydra | €9.4m (£8m) |
| 2. Krystian Bielik | €8.2m (£7m) |
| 3. Bradley Johnson | €8.1m (£6.9m) |
| 4. Tom Ince | €6.7m (£5.7m) |
| 5. Martyn Waghorn | €5.6m (£4.8m) |
| Sourced by Transfermarkt | |
Earnshaw’s struggles at Pride Park were probably exacerbated by Derby’s disastrous Premier League season, finishing bottom with just 11 points. He described his time with the Rams as “difficult” during an interview with DerbyshireLive in 2018. Despite this setback, he found redemption with Forest, which may be bittersweet for Derby fans given their own struggles at the time.
No doubt, Derby failing to win promotion up to the Championship this campaign would be even more sickening with Warne keeping his fingers crossed that Collins and Co can continue firing on all cylinders.
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