Derby County urged to take advantage of Plymouth Argyle relegation and sign 12-goal star | OneFootball

FLW's Derby County fan pundit has named the player he would like to see the club target this summer.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Derby County are preparing for another season in the Championship after securing survival under John Eustace.

Derby made the decision to part company with promotion-winning manager Paul Warne in February following a run of seven consecutive defeats, and they shocked the football world by managing to convince Eustace to swap a promotion push at Blackburn Rovers for a relegation battle at Pride Park.

The Rams' plight initially got worse under Eustace, and they were seven points from safety after he lost his first three games, but a significant upturn in form saw them finish the season in 19th place, one point clear of the relegation zone.

Eustace will now begin his rebuild as he looks to keep Derby clear of any such danger next season, and the club have announced that Rohan Luthra, Sonny Bradley, Erik Pieters, Tyrese Fornah, Jeff Hendrick, Tom Barkhuizen, Kemar Roofe and Conor Washington will all leave the club at the end of their contracts this summer as the 45-year-old stamps his mark on the squad.

Derby County told to launch Ryan Hardie, Plymouth Argyle swoop

When asked which player he would like the club to sign this summer, FLW's Derby County fan pundit Shaun Woodward urged the Rams to make a move for Plymouth Argyle striker Ryan Hardie.

After scoring 13 goals last season, Hardie hit double figures for the second consecutive campaign in the Championship as he netted 12 times in 40 appearances for the Pilgrims this term, but it was not enough to prevent the club's relegation to League One, and Shaun believes the 28-year-old could now be a realistic target for Eustace's men.

"I'd like Derby to sign Ryan Hardie from Plymouth," Shaun said.

"The fact that they've just been relegated to League One would potentially give us an advantage to try and entice him back into the Championship.

"He's proven that he can score goals at this level, he got double figures in the last two seasons in a really struggling side.

"I think if Derby could get better players in and around him, he would quite easily go on to score more goals than he has done in the last two seasons.

"He's got double figures in each of the last four seasons, so he's someone I'd definitely love Derby to sign, and I think he's realistically someone we could look at getting."

Only Hull City and Luton Town scored fewer goals than Derby in the Championship this season, with the Rams managing to find the back of the net on just 48 occasions, so there is no doubt that strengthening in the forward areas will be a priority for Eustace this summer.

Despite playing in a struggling team, Hardie has proven over the past two years that he can be a reliable goalscorer in the second tier, and given his previous track record, he would likely reach double figures again next season if he was to make the move to Pride Park.

However, Hardie will surely be in demand after Plymouth's relegation to League One, and the Scot was recently linked with ambitious newly-promoted side Wrexham, so Derby will face plenty of competition if they decide to join the race for his signature.