A big What if? Frank Lampard thought he struck Derby County transfer gold for £3m | OneFootball

Jack Marriott joined the Rams in 2018, and while he had a bright start, his career at Pride Park fizzled out.

The 2018 summer transfer window was a very busy one for Derby County, as Frank Lampard prepared for his first season in management with the Championship club.

The Rams went into the new campaign off the back of a disappointing end to 2017/18, as Fulham overturned a 1-0 deficit from the first leg of the play-off semi-final to run out 2-1 and make their way to Wembley. The Cottagers eventually beat Aston Villa in the final, 1-0.

Nevertheless, following the departure of Gary Rowett to Stoke City, Lampard took charge of the East Midlands outfit and former owner Mel Morris was keen to show the Chelsea legend that he would be given the opportunity to fight at the top of the division by handing him a healthy transfer budget.

A trio of Premier League loanees joined, as Harry Wilson, Fikayo Tomori and Mason Mount looked to make their names with Derby. Meanwhile, the likes of Martyn Waghorn, Duane Holmes, Florian Jozefzoon, George Evans and Scott Malone joined permanently.

However, there was one signing that truly excited supporters in the East Midlands, and expectations were high.

Derby County thought they had a new star in Jack Marriott

Jack Marriott had scored 27 goals in 44 league games for Peterborough United in 2017/18, and while he was unable to help the Posh to promotion to the Championship, his stock increased greatly and that summer, the Rams showed significant interest.

At the end of July 2018, Derby agreed a £3m fee for the striker, as he left Cambridgeshire for DE24, with there being a potential for the fee to rise to £5m. There was plenty of pressure on the then 23-year-old to start firing in the second tier straight away, but he featured in just one of his new side's first six games.

In fact, it would take until October 6 for Marriott to get his first start for the Rams in the league, as he led the line against QPR in a 1-1 draw at Loftus Road. However, it was not his first goal for the club, as he fired in against Manchester United in the Carabao Cup, as the East Midlands outfit beat the Red Devils on penalties.

The Beverley-born ace scored his first six Championship goals in just nine games, while also picking up two assists. Derby rose up the table, but injuries would soon take their toll and a late winner against Norwich City in December 2018 would prove to be his last goal for a number of months.

Marriott would struggle in the second-half of the season. However, his brace against Leeds United in one of the greatest play-off semi-finals of all time will never be forgotten, as the Rams overturned a 1-0 deficit from the first leg, to win 4-3 on aggregate - celebrating at Elland Road.

Jack Marriott never found consistency at Derby County

Lampard's side were beaten in the play-off final at Wembley, with neither Waghorn nor Marriott starting the game. When they were brought onto the pitch, Derby were much more threatening, with their £3m striker scoring to make it 2-1 against Aston Villa.

It would prove to be the beginning of the end for Marriott at Pride Park, and despite Phillip Cocu offering the current Reading star a new sense of hope, he could not find any sort of form. He scored just once in his first 20 games, with Wayne Rooney's arrival at Pride Park coinciding with his second and final strike of the season.

The 2020/21 campaign would ultimately prove to be his final chance in black-and-white, and just four league matches into the new season, the striker was sent out on loan to Sheffield Wednesday.

Marriott would leave Derby in the summer of 2021, rejoining Peterborough. What had once been an incredibly exciting and promising arrival, proved to be a false dawn, and it has taken until his most recent move to Reading for the now 31-year-old to get back to his best.