Birmingham City, Derby County and Huddersfield all dodged Ipswich Town transfer bullet | OneFootball

Birmingham City, Derby County, and Huddersfield were all interested in signing an in-form EFL forward, but they dodged a transfer bullet.

There have been plenty of players in the EFL that have gone on to justify exactly why they attracted significant demand for their services over the years.

Many of those EFL talents have gone on to play at a higher level both in the Premier League, or abroad. However, on the other side of the scale, there are players that have gone on to struggle.

One that unfortunately fits that description is Joe Pigott, who was previously attracting interest from the likes of Birmingham City, Derby County, and Huddersfield Town.

The forward was playing his football with AFC Wimbledon when attracting that transfer interest from clubs further up the English football pyramid, and he certainly justified that, as he scored 54 goals in 157 appearances in his first spell with The Dons.

However, Pigott decided against moving to the trio of clubs interested in landing his signature, as he moved to Ipswich Town on a free transfer, signing a three-year-deal at Portman Road.

There were high hopes that Pigott could replicate his goalscoring form for the Tractor Boys, but for one reason or another, this move simply didn't work out, and was the start of a difficult period on the pitch for the striker.

Forgetful spell with Ipswich

Ipswich had plenty of strong attacking options when Pigott signed for the club, and that saw his game time limited on a consistent basis, which was far from ideal when he'd already shown his quality in front of goal in the previous season with AFC Wimbledon.

The forward made just 23 appearances for the Tractor Boys in his time at Portman Road, and scored just three goals, which will have been a frustrating return for Pigott.

He spent time on loan with Portsmouth whilst contracted to Ipswich, but departed permanently by mutual consent in July 2023, as he made the move to Leyton Orient.

Lack of goals at Leyton Orient & return to AFC Wimbledon

Pigott's struggles for goals continued at Leyton Orient, as he only scored four goals in 42 appearances whilst they were playing their football in League One.

He returned to AFC Wimbledon on loan for the 2024/25 season, but failed to replicate the sort of form that saw him earn a move away from the club earlier in his career.

Pigott scored four goals in 37 appearances for The Dons, before returning to Leyton Orient, where his contract reached a conclusion, in what was a disappointing spell.

Pigott rediscovers goalscoring form

Pigott made the surprising drop into the Isthmian League Premier Division, as he signed for Folkestone Invicta in the summer of 2025 after his contract with Leyton Orient expired.

He's gone on to score 15 goals for Folkestone Invicta, who are currently top of the table, and on the cusp of winning promotion this term, as they're 13 points clear of second-placed Aveley, in what has been a memorable season for the club.

The forward has been in good form lately as well, with Pigott scoring Folkestone Invicta's equaliser against Dartford, which resulted in him being awarded the Player of the Match.

It's pleasing to see Pigott finding his goalscoring form once again, as he's a player that could certainly be playing at a higher level than the Isthmian League Premier Division, especially when you consider all of the experience he has under his belt.

It'll be interesting to see what the future holds for the former Ipswich Town forward, as the days of playing in the EFL will feel like a distant memory, but if he can continue to fire in the goals for Folkestone Invicta, then it wouldn't be too surprising to see them potentially having interest in his signature from clubs higher up the English football pyramid.

Birmingham City, Derby County, and Huddersfield Town won't regret missing out on signing Pigott, especially the direction that his career has taken in recent years since that move to Ipswich Town. However, it could have all gone differently with one of the trio of clubs that were previously interested, so it's more a case of what could have been.