Derby County are still pushing to sign a striker as the window of opportunity edges ever closer to shutting.
The story of Derby’s winter has been seeing their attempts for a striker get thwarted, leaving Paul Warne feeling ‘unconfident’ that a forward will be brought in.
Warne wanted to sign a goalscorer who could push James Collins for a place in the team.
Collins is their top scorer with 18 goals this term and arguably their Player of the Season, but at the age of 33, he could do with a rest.
With the likes of Martyn Waghorn, Conor Washington and Tyreece John-Jules all sidelined through injury and youngster Dajaune Brown loaned out to Gateshead, Warne is seriously short in the striker position.
Derby essentially put most of their eggs into one basket in their attempts to sign Sheffield Wednesday striker Michael Smith, but the Rams have struggled to meet their financial demands.
And while Wednesday’s stance has seen them move for other targets, they’ve hit a similar roadblock in their pursuit of former striker Lee Gregory.
Derby’s deal to sign Lee Gregory is ‘proving difficult’
Derby were one of several League One clubs who showed an interest in Gregory earlier on in the window.
Of course, nothing materialised from there as the Rams focused on landing Smith, though the Sheffield Star now report that Derby have enquired about taking him on loan for the rest of the season.
Unfortunately, though, given their spending restrictions having agreed on a business plan with the EFL, it’s looking increasingly difficult to facilitate a deal with Wednesday holding out for a strong contribution to Gregory’s wages.
The 35-year-old has only featured for 68 minutes in the Championship since the Owls appointed Danny Rohl and the German has expressed his desire to move on players who are unlikely to play much in the second half of the season.
Would Lee Gregory be a good signing?
On a short-term deal, Gregory would bring a vast amount of EFL experience, especially in League One.
The former Millwall man, who was hailed by former manager Darren Moore as a “quality talent”, has plundered 61 goals in 152 appearances in the third tier.
While that isn’t a record to be sniffed at, there’s a reason why he wasn’t the first choice on the shopping list.
Given his age and the £8k-a-week wage he commands, he isn’t the most desirable option, but Derby are at a stage where the importance of getting someone in is greater than no one at all.
Warne did point towards being meticulous with the type of player he wants to bring in, making Gregory less desirable, though he could be just as effective.
He’s made a living out of picking defenders’ pockets and pressing them into mistakes.
After all, he has scored 26 goals at this level in his last two campaigns, so he could be a handy supplement to the goals of Collins from the bench.