Derby County should push to seal third Ipswich Town transfer | OneFootball

Kayden Jackson and Marcus Harness have already been brought in from the Premier League side, but the Rams need more reinforcements up front.

Derby County's promising start to the season has slowly fizzled out, and there are now renewed fears about relegation back to League One.

Paul Warne's side have struggled greatly on the road so far in 2024/25, and that trend continued on Saturday as they were beaten 1-0 by Bristol City at Ashton Gate. It was the third consecutive defeat that they have suffered, and the Rams will be hoping that the two-week break between league games will help with their recovery.

The January transfer window will offer some reprieve for the East Midlands club, but they will need to act fast to make the changes they need to push away from the bottom three once again and back into the battle for mid-table.

The striking department is one area of the pitch that needs improving, and Derby may just turn to Ipswich Town for the third time this campaign for a new star.

Derby must add Ali Al-Hamadi to their ranks in January 2025

There has been a lot of reliance on Jerry Yates so far this season, and this is slowly starting to show. The Rams have a lack of proven options on the bench to bring on in his place, and therefore signing a striker is a priority this month.

Ali Al-Hamadi could be the perfect player to come in and take some of the burden off the 28-year-old, with his minutes at Ipswich so far limited this season.

He would join Marcus Harness on loan from the Tractor Boys, while Kayden Jackson made the switch to Derby following the conclusion of his contract at Portman Road in the summer.

Their form has taken a severe hit in the last few weeks, and there will be a desire from Warne to see their levels pick up sooner rather than later.

Nevertheless, Al-Hamadi could be the difference between the Rams battling it out at the bottom of the Championship or making the push back towards mid-table in the coming months.

He proved extremely clinical in the second tier last season, scoring four times in 14 appearances, although he did start only once after his mid-season move from League Two side AFC Wimbledon.

Those goals proved influential in helping Ipswich to a second successive promotion, although the signing of Liam Delap has meant game time has been difficult to come by this season, and therefore a loan away would be the best situation for all parties.

Ali Al-Hamadi could help relieve some of the pressure on Paul Warne at Derby County

The Rams have been long-term admirers of the 22-year-old, and according to Derbyshire Live, they remain interested in him.

If a deal can be secured, it could help ease some of the pressure that has started to build on Warne following recent poor results. However, despite some performances that have left a lot to be desired, Derby are wasting plenty of chances.

In their 4-2 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday on New Year's Day, Kane Wilson and Yates missed three good chances between them to equalise at 1-0 and put the game in their side's hands.

Al-Hamadi has the quality to find the back of the net consistently, and he could prove to be a cheaper option than the likes of Jayden Danns and Louie Barry.