Derby County hit the transfer jackpot - and then fleeced Huddersfield Town | OneFootball

Tom Ince averaged a goal or assist every two games for the Rams

FLW take a look at how Derby County hit the transfer jackpot with Tom Ince and then fleeced newly-promoted Huddersfield Town.

In truth, by the time the winger finally joined the Rams permanently from Hull City in July 2015, the club already knew exactly what they were getting.

His loan spell the previous spring had been electric - with 11 goals in 18 Championship appearances, including a brace on debut in a 4-1 win over Bolton Wanderers. This was during the second half of the 14/15 season, he spent the first half of it at rivals Nottingham Forest.

The reported £4.75m fee Derby paid for Ince broke the previous record of £3.5m which was paid to Norwich City for Robert Earnshaw in 2007.

How Derby County hit the jackpot with then-club record signing Tom Ince

Crucially, Ince’s form at Derby did not fade once the move was made permanent, nor did it when his managers kept getting sacked.

Including his time on loan at the club, the winger played under seven different managers at Pride Park, taking into account the likes of Darren Wassall and Chris Powell, who were interim/caretaker bosses at different points.

Paul Clement, who was in charge when Ince signed permanently, told BBC Radio Derby, "He is an exciting talent. I am delighted.

"I'm aware of the positive impact he had on the side during his time on loan last season from speaking to people at the club, and also watching a number of the matches back myself," he added.

Across two full Championship seasons as a Derby player, he scored another 12 and 14 league goals respectively. Looking back, for a winger to produce back-to-back-to-back 10+ goal seasons is crazy.

There were also headline moments for him everywhere - a hat‑trick against Bristol City in December 2015 and a brilliant solo effort in a 3–0 win over Forest a year later. He was just so reliable in black and white.

Less can be said about his time in Kirklees, though...

Huddersfield Town's expensive gamble with Derby County's Tom Ince

When Huddersfield Town came calling in the summer of 2017, they were a club riding the high of promotion and determined not to waste their first Premier League campaign.

The Terriers agreed an initial three‑year deal and a fee widely reported in the £10m range, again, another record figure for both clubs at the time. German head coach David Wagner publicly stressed at the time that Ince had been one of the Championship’s standout performers for many years.

Wagner told the West Yorkshire club's official website, "Everybody in England knows that Tom has high-quality; he has been one of the best players in the Sky Bet Championship for many years now.

"He scores goals, creates them for others and is always a threat when he's on the pitch, so I'm very happy to welcome him to the club today.

"I have spoken to Tom and he has a massive desire to come to Huddersfield Town and play in the Premier League. He has had a taste of the division for two short spells and he is desperate to show everyone that he belongs in the top division. I think he can be a big player for us."

On paper, Huddersfield got what they paid for in one respect, in that Ince was heavily involved during the 17/18 Premier League campaign - making 33 league appearances, but his attacking numbers weren't what everyone would've been expecting.

Ince’s top-flight return boiled down to just two goals and no assists, with three in all competitions, a stark contrast to the 15 he had managed for Derby the previous year. He left Huddersfield for Stoke City after just one season.

In all fairness, the winger did produce a last-gasp winner against Watford to help them stay up, but the spark he had at Derby just wasn't there.