Derby County announced the signing of Corey Blackett-Taylor from Charlton Athletic on Monday afternoon but are looking to complete another deal before the January transfer window closes.
There is less than a week left in the winter market and many clubs will be scrambling to get their last pieces of business over the line, including the Rams who are making a push for promotion back to the Championship under head coach Paul Warne.
According to journalist Darren Witcoop, Derby are hoping to complement the signing of Blackett-Taylor by acquiring Sheffield Wednesday striker Michael Smith on loan until the end of the campaign, who currently has a market value of £1.2 million, as per FootballTransfers.
Witcoop added that Smith is keen to work with Warne once more, having played under him at Rotherham United and that he expects a deal to be completed provided both clubs can agree on a fee before next Thursday.
The 32-year-old has played just 674 minutes in total for the Owls this term under both Xisco Munoz and Danny Rohl which has been spread across 16 appearances in all competitions. However, the experienced frontman has still found the net three times and is averaging one goal every 213 minutes in the Championship.
Derby County are not weak up top this season and are the joint-second highest goalscorers in England’s third tier, having bagged 50 times in 27 league outings. Only Peterborough United have scored more goals, but Warne looks keen to strengthen his attacking department with the addition of Blackett-Taylor and now potentially Smith.
Darren Witcoop also reported on Monday night that Derby are expected to pay Charlton a loan fee of £300,000 for the forward’s services, which could rise to £500,000 if the side are promoted.
Writer’s View
The top goalscorer for Derby County this season is Republic of Ireland international James Collins, who has bagged 12 goals in 27 matches, making him the joint-eighth highest scorer in the division. However, the second best for the Rams is Nathaniel Mendez-Laing with seven.
With Martyn Waghorn still out with a ruptured ACL, it would make sense for Warne to ease the burden on Collins by bringing another proven goalscorer to the club in Smith, someone he has previously worked with.
