Derby County must sort one contract issue quickly, exit could be right move: View | OneFootball

The striker is yet to sign a new contract with the Rams after two seasons at Pride Park.

Highlights

Derby County are in need of a quick resolution to a contract saga that could plague the start of their summer.

James Collins, 33, joined the Rams two years ago as part of Derby's rebuild following administration and relegation to League One. However, the striker is yet to sign a new contract with the club following promotion back to the Championship.

Collins, alongside Louie Sibley, is said to be in discussion over their futures, according to the club's retained list that was released in May.

With the transfer window now open, and the start of the new season just over a month away, Derby need this situation to be concluded sooner rather than later.

James Collins should move on

At 33, Collins is coming to the end of his career and now lacks the quality that Derby needs to fight against a relegation battle in the new Championship season.

He has been a great servant to the club in his short time with them, scoring 31 goals in 98 games for the Rams, including the final goal of the team's promotion campaign in 2023/24 in a 2-0 win over Carlisle United.

But, now is the right time for both club and player to part ways.

Collins' record in the second tier is less than extraordinary, averaging a goal every 4.22 games, a far cry from his average of finding the back of the net every 2.74 matches in League One. If the former Cardiff City striker is to stay with Derby in the Championship, his goal-scoring form will have to improve.

A lot of Collins' work comes out of possession. He recorded 91 recoveries last season, winning possession in the final third 18 times. However, he is only getting older, and with the intensity of League One being less than that of the Championship, Collins may find it harder to be the high-intensity, busy striker that he has been in the past.

Derby will need to find a young replacement

With a strong possibility of their number nine moving on, the Rams will need to bring in at least two strikers to replace him.

Derby have just Dajaune Brown and Conor Washington under contract for the new season that could fill the role, however, Brown's inexperience and Washington's injury record means that neither are suitable successors.

Ali Al-Hamadi, 22, joined Ipswich Town from AFC Wimbledon in January and looks likely to be sent out on loan this summer. The Iraq international scored four times in 14 games for the Tractor Boys as they were promoted to the Premier League, despite starting just once.

Reports suggest Town are ready to loan him out while Oxford United have already been linked.

If Derby are able to loan in a player with Al-Hamadi's quality, he will be able to provide a short-term answer to their striker problem, but a more permanent solution will be Paul Warne's true desire.

St. Johnstone's Adama Sidibeh, 26, has previously been linked with Warne's side, as well as Burnley and Middlesbrough, as per Pete O'Rourke. However, after scoring just five goals in 15 matches in Scotland, he may struggle to hit the ground running in the Championship.

Tyrese Campbell has experience in the second tier, having spent six years in the division with Stoke City. Available on a free following the expiration of his contract, the 24-year-old could be moulded into the striker that Warne needs to compete next season.

Collins will leave big boots to fill after a successful time at Derby if he does move on, but if the Rams nail this transfer window they may be able to quickly forget about the contract troubles of this summer.