Financial truth over Sammie Szmodics move from Ipswich Town to Derby County emerges | OneFootball

Derby County signed Sammie Szmodics on transfer deadline day on loan. Now, the finances involved in that deal have come to light.

Sammie Szmodics stole the headlines on transfer deadline day in the Championship as his long-awaited move to Derby County was sanctioned, as he made his way to Pride Park on loan for the rest of the 2025/26 campaign.

The 30-year-old's time at Ipswich Town has not gone to plan so far, with injuries, issues with form and positional problems seeing him score just five league goals over the course of the last year-and-a-half, and his time at Portman Road has come to a temporary end.

However, the Rams were keen on bringing the Republic of Ireland international to DE24, and after a deal sheet was submitted, Szmodics was reunited with John Eustace after the 7pm had passed.

Now, the financial details surrounding the deal have been revealed, with it now clear how Derby were able to bring the versatile attacker to the club, despite it originally looking like a move was never going to happen.

How Derby County funded move for Sammie Szmodics from Ipswich Town

The Rams had a bid turned down for Szmodics on January 28, as per EADT, and it has now emerged that it was a £3m offer that was rejected by Ipswich before Wrexham also pursued a move for the ex-Peterborough United man.

The Tractor Boys set a £6m asking price on their number 23 and this ultimately proved too much for Derby. It looked as though they were not going to get their man, but at 6pm, they got a second chance with Kieran McKenna open to letting the player go out on loan.

According to The Telegraph, head of football administration, Clare Morris, played a crucial role in ensuring that the deal sheet went through, and he signed on the dotted line before 9pm, and was announced on social media just 30 minutes later.

Derby are paying all of Szmodics' Ipswich wages, while there was also a small loan fee agreed between the two clubs. However, there is neither an obligation nor an option to buy the player outright in the summer, and if his loan is a success, negotiations would have to start once again.

How much Sammie Szmodics is estimated to earn per week at Derby County

While promotion to the Premier League was never the target for the Rams this season, they find themselves well ahead of schedule with the club now chasing a play-off place just two years after winning promotion from League One.

Therefore, a player like Szmodics could just prove to be the difference between another year in the second tier and one in the top flight, and he could be the key to an incredible end to 2025/26 for Derby.

However, he has come at a cost, and according to Capology's estimates, the 30-year-old earns £25k-a-week, all of which will now be paid by David Clowes until the end of the campaign.

If this estimate is true, he will join Carlton Morris as the highest paid player at Pride Park, while fellow loanee Ben Brereton Diaz is also on the same wage - although it is not known what percentage of that is being paid by Derby.