Derby County urged to keep player who "divides fan opinion" - He has "X-factor" | OneFootball

Corey Blackett-Taylor has divided fan opinion at Derby County

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 began the season in difficult form, winning just one of their opening ten league fixtures despite a large investment in the squad over the summer.

13 players made the move to Pride Park, including the £7.3 million addition of striker Patrick Agyemang from MLS outfit Charlotte and the £3.5 million addition of Scottish international full-back Max Johnston from Austrian side Sturm Graz.

Manager John Eustace's fingerprints were all over the Rams' summer dealings, having signed the likes of Lewis Travis, Dion Sanderson, Andreas Weimann, and Danny Batth, all of whom he had worked with previously at Blackburn Rovers.

With the squad firmly in his image, pressure was inevitable following the poor run of form the club had found itself in, but that pressure has since evaporated almost entirely following five wins on the bounce before the most recent international break.

The squad is seemingly now beginning to gel into place with a clear understanding of what Eustace demands and what all of their roles are, yet there is one player in the Rams squad that divides the fanbase more than anyone else, though they have made just two appearances all season.

Corey Blackett-Taylor has divided opinion among Derby County fans

Football League World's Derby fan pundit, Shaun Woodward, has shared their view on which Rams player divides opinion the most among the club's fanbase.

Shaun told FLW, "One player, for me, that divides fans' opinions is Corey Blackett-Taylor.

"There is definitely a player there; we have seen it in glimpses when he is fit; the problem is that he is barely fit.

"He has a couple of games and then he is out for six weeks, couple of games and then repeat the cycle.

"He has shown that he has got real talent. [In] pre-season, he looked really good; he was starting to get fit and beating players down the wing, getting a lot of assists, scoring a few goals, looking confident, and then he was injured again.

"It's so frustrating, because he could be that bit of X-factor that we need, but he can never stay fit.

"He also looks a little bit disinterested at times when things aren't going well for him. [He] doesn't look like a team player. I could be wrong, but he looks like a bit of a sulker, someone who is about himself, and so doesn't endear himself to the fans when things aren't going well.

"Personally, I do think that there is a really talented player there. It's how long do you stick with someone that is playing a handful of games a season? Because we could go out and get someone who maybe isn't as good, but is more consistent.

"A bit like [Kayden] Jackson. Jackson doesn't have the ability that Corey Blackett-Taylor has, but Jackson has fitness, has work rate, and is clearly a team player, someone that Eustace trusts to come off the bench and help us out in tough times. I don't know if he'd do that with Corey Blackett-Taylor, whereas Corey Blackett-Taylor has more ability, so it's a difficult one.

"Personally, I would stick with Corey Blackett-Taylor, because I do think in these tight games in the Championship, someone like him could come off the bench and do something, as it's not all about work rate and desire, which is great to have, but you do need to have that little bit of X-factor as well, which he does have.

"So I would keep him personally, but I do understand why some fans would rather cut losses and get rid."

Corey Blackett-Taylor has struggled with injuries during his time with Derby County and faces tough competition in attacking areas

Derby signed Blackett-Taylor in January 2024, whilst the club was still in League One, from fellow division rivals Charlton Athletic, to provide then-manager Paul Warne with some extra quality in the wide attacking areas.

The Aston Villa academy graduate has, however, been plagued by injuries since his move to Pride Park, never making more than 12 appearances in a league season for the club as of yet.

The winger notched up just 401 minutes of league football last season across 12 appearances, scoring once but assisting none.

This season, he started the season opener away to Stoke City, and set up Carlton Morris to open the scoring, which is as good as it has gotten for him so far, coming off in the 80th minute before the Potters turned the game on its head to win 3-1.

Blackett-Taylor missed the next eight games due to a hamstring injury and has played just once since, remaining on the bench for four out of the last five games, whilst not even being named in the matchday squad for one of those.

At 28, the winger ought to be in the prime of his career, but instead, he finds himself on the peripheries of the Derby side, and with competition ahead of him stronger than ever, it looks unlikely that he will break into the side anytime soon.

A move may be on the cards sooner rather than later. Whilst he has shown glimpses of quality in a Derby shirt, it has been few and far between, and it may be time for Eustace to cut his losses on the attacker.