Coventry City must have expected more from Derby County freebie: View | OneFootball

It appeared to be a real coup for Coventry City in the summer of 2021 when they announced the signing of experienced striker Martyn Waghorn, but it didn't quite work out like that for the Sky Blues.

Waghorn had plenty of EFL experience following spells with the likes of Leicester City, Wigan Athletic, Ipswich Town and Derby County, and had also featured in the Scottish Premiership with Glasgow giants Rangers.

After his contract at Pride Park expired in the summer of 2021, Mark Robins moved swiftly to add Waghorn to their ranks ahead of their second consecutive season in the Championship.

Despite having a very fruitful career at EFL level, Waghorn's time at Coventry City was arguably the one unsuccessful spell he's had in his career, and he never showed what he was capable of at the Sky Blues.

Martyn Waghorn failed to live up to expectations at Coventry City

After a promising first season in the Championship which saw them finish 16th, Coventry looked to bolster their squad, and picking up Waghorn on a free transfer looked a great move.

He came straight into their starting XI for the opening weeks of the 2021/22 Championship season, making a decent start to life in the Midlands, and he scored in the Sky Blues' 2-0 win over Middlesbrough on the 11th September 2021 to cap a respectable start to his Coventry career.

However, as the weeks progressed, Waghorn began to find starts harder to come by, and he missed a large chunk of the season (October - January), which meant he found it difficult to break into the starting XI after that.

The striker would struggle for regular starts during the second half of the season, and despite a promising start to life at the CBS Arena, Waghorn was resigned to appearances from the bench mostly, which wasn't helped by Viktor Gyokeres really beginning to find form.

In total, Waghorn made 29 appearances in all competitions for the Sky Blues during the 2021/22 season, scoring once and registering two assists.

Despite not having the best of debut seasons, Waghorn remained part of Robins' side for the following season, mainly being utilised from the bench.

He did, however, add a second Coventry goal to his tally in October 2022, when he scored a crucial penalty to give his side a 1-0 win over eventual promotion winners Sheffield United.

However, he was unable to build on this, and with just six months left on his contract, he joined Huddersfield Town on loan in January before being released that summer.

In total, Waghorn made 42 appearances for the Sky Blues, scoring 2 goals and registering 3 assists.

Martyn Waghorn has fared better since returning to Derby County

As a free agent, Waghorn returned to Derby County, who he played for prior to his move to Coventry.

Now 34, the striker has struggled with injuries, but he has given a good account of himself when he's played.

He's scored seven times in 26 appearances this season and looks set to help the Rams return to League One after relegation in 2022.

His contract at Pride Park expires this summer, and it remains to be seen what the Rams choose to do, particularly if they're promoted to the Championship.

But after a difficult few seasons at Coventry, Waghorn would have enjoyed returning to Derby and getting the chance to score some goals after struggling in front of goal at the CBS Arena.