Derby County are reportedly interested in bringing Sheffield Wednesday striker Lee Gregory back to the club for his second spell.
According to journalist Darren Witcoop, Gregory is one of several players potentially departing Hillsborough in January and is ‘up for grabs’ for many League One clubs, with Derby said to be one of them.
Gregory has been linked with a move to Pride Park previously and given the Rams are challenging for automatic promotion, Paul Warne may well consider making a move for his services.
The 35-year-old spent the second half of the 2020/21 season on loan at Derby as the club were fighting tooth and nail to survive in the Championship.
He then left Stoke City to join Sheffield Wednesday in the summer of 2021 and helped the Owls win promotion through the play-offs last term, scoring ten league goals.
Since returning to the second tier, however, Gregory hasn’t played for Wednesday since October and has missed out on the matchday squad completely in the last seven games.
Whilst this isn’t an ideal situation for the veteran forward, he isn’t short of suitors in the EFL due to the skill he possesses at this level with Derby desperate to acquire such expertise in January.
Derby County’s struggles highlighted v Wycombe
Derby County were punished for not taking their chances on Saturday as Wycombe levelled the scores through a 98th-minute penalty.
The Rams struggled to break down the visitors, who seemed intent on sitting back behind the ball and soaking up pressure.
Despite dominating 63% possession, Warne’s side only registered nine shots on goal, only two of which were on target as Tom Barkhuizen was relied upon to score from the bench.
This result, in particular, highlighted the need for Derby to invest in a striker to aid their automatic promotion bid.
With four points separating them from in-form Peterborough United in second, signing a prolific forward could be the difference in the promotion race.
Lee Gregory can aid Derby County’s promotion bid
At the age of 35, Gregory doesn’t possess the pace he once had, but his speed of thought and lethal finishing is still prevalent.
In his previous two campaigns at League One level, he’s eclipsed double figures for goals and on a short-term deal, could present a reliable option for Warne to call upon.
James Collins currently tops Derby’s scoring charts with seven goals in the third tier but he does need someone else to take that burden.
Nathaniel Mendez-Laing has stepped up in recent weeks by chipping in with a few goals, however, Gregory could offer an instant fix to that problem.
He could use his experience to help fire the Rams to promotion and become a hero at Pride Park.