"Not convinced" - Claim made as Derby County close in on signing of ex-Ipswich Town striker | OneFootball

Derby County are reportedly set to sign former Ipswich Town striker Kayden Jackson.

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 life back in the Championship after their promotion from League One last season.

The Rams made an inconsistent start to the season, and many fans were calling for manager Paul Warne to be sacked, but they enjoyed an excellent second half of the campaign to finish in second place behind champions Portsmouth.

It has been a busy summer at Pride Park so far as Warne rebuilds his squad for the Championship, and a host of senior players have left the club at the end of their contracts, including Joe Wildsmith, Scott Loach, Conor Houirhane, Korey Smith, Martyn Waghorn and Dwight Gayle.

Derby have made one new signing so far this summer, with midfielder Ben Osborn arriving from Sheffield United, while they are also set to sign Swansea City striker Jerry Yates on loan, and that will not be the end of the club's transfer business.

According to Sky Sports journalist Lyall Thomas, the Rams will sign former Ipswich Town striker Kayden Jackson on a three-year deal once his contract at Portman Road officially expires this weekend.

Jackson joined the Tractor Boys from Accrington Stanley in the summer of 2018, but he was released this summer following the club's promotion to the Premier League.

The 30-year-old experienced mixed fortunes during his time in Suffolk, but he was an important part of the squad that achieved back-to-back promotions from League One to the top flight in the last two seasons.

Derby County fan pundit issues verdict on imminent Kayden Jackson signing

FLW's Derby County fan pundit Shaun Woodward admits he has doubts over the signing of Jackson due to his poor goalscoring record, but he hopes that the striker will be able to thrive at Pride Park.

"As for Kayden Jackson I'm not convinced he makes us better, but he does give us some versatility in the wide areas and can go up front as well," Shaun said.

"He's not prolific by any means in his career, but I suppose Nathaniel Mendez-Laing wasn't prolific and he came to Derby and found a home, so maybe Jackson could be that type of player, come to Derby, find a home and we can get a couple of really good years out of him.

"I wouldn't be disappointed if we signed Jackson, I just don't think he's potentially going to make us better, but we need numbers and he could hopefully do a Mendez-Laing, so then we could be sat here in a year's time saying what a genius move it was to sign him.

"Hopefully two good players in, and with Osborn and a new goalkeeper, we'd start to look like we've got quite a competitive squad, so hopefully it's all going to be good."

Kayden Jackson could be a shrewd signing for Derby County

It is difficult to disagree with Shaun that Jackson's goalscoring record is underwhelming, but while he is not a prolific scorer, he could be a good addition for Derby.

Jackson scored three goals and provided five assists in 33 games for Ipswich last season as they were promoted to the Premier League, and the fact he started some crucial games towards the end of the campaign shows the trust Kieran McKenna had in him.

He will bring useful versatility to the Rams' forward line with his ability to play out wide or up front, and if he is given the chance to be a regular starter at Pride Park, he could rediscover his best form.

The signing of Osborn and the imminent arrivals of Yates and Jackson suggest that Warne is targeting Championship experience this summer, and it could be a smart policy as Derby look to establish themselves in the second tier.