Derby County will regret not slacking the purse strings and signing an EFL goal machine who has just signed for their Championship rivals.
Derby have wasted no time in preparing for the Championship and supporters will be quietly pleased with how this transfer window is unfolding.
Paul Warne has captured free agent Ben Osborn – who will add a wealth of experience and versatility to his squad – while the Rams have also signed strikers Kayden Jackson and Jerry Yates.
Derby needed to add firepower to their ranks after ending last term as the joint-lowest scorers of sides that finished in the top six.
But question marks are hanging over the forwards they’ve recruited, with Jackson scoring just six goals in 65 Championship appearances while Yates has just 31 in 152 matches at this level.
Derby County could regret not signing Macaulay Langstaff
Reports claimed that Derby were interested in Notts County goal machine Macaulay Langstaff in the January transfer window.
The Rams’ proposal for the striker never materialised, though, with Langstaff remaining in League Two for the rest of the campaign.
In his debut campaign in the EFL, the 27-year-old fired an eye-watering 28 goals in the league, finishing as the division’s top scorer.
Dubbed “brilliant” by former manager Luke Williams for his incredible scoring exploits, Langstaff attracted Championship interest this summer but it was Millwall who won the race for his signature.
It is understood that the Lions only paid around the £700,000 mark to land the prolific forward, who bagged 70 goals in 96 appearances for the Magpies.
Macaulay Langstaff could be the next Jamie Vardy
Jamie Vardy is one of the greatest English strikers of this generation but like many, his goal-scoring exploits weren’t unearthed till fairly late in his career.
Leicester City signed Vardy for £1 million 12 years ago from Fleetwood Town – who were a National League outfit at the time – after the striker scored 31 goals in 36 appearances in the 2011/12 season.
Now holding a Premier League title, Golden Boot and FA Cup trophy as well as stints in the Champions League during his time at the Foxes, the 37-year-old has conquered so much after heralding from a non-league background.
Vardy started his career at Stocksbridge Park Steels before moving to Halifax and then Fleetwood, while Langstaff has followed a similar journey, plying his trade for various non-league clubs, including York City, Blyth Spartans and Gateshead.
Langstaff shares familiar traits to Vardy, with his pace, ability to hang on the last defender and lethal finishing have all seen him earn a Championship move, just like the veteran striker did in 2012.
If Langstaff goes on to become half as successful as the Leicester forward, Derby will live to regret not trying harder to sign the EFL goal machine.