Derby County may regret letting striker go if he starts firing for Scottish club: View | OneFootball

Dwight Gayle was drafted in as an emergency signing for the Rams last season after an injury crisis.

Derby County's promotion from League One in 2023/24 was a season to remember, but an injury crisis not long after new year threatened to derail their momentum.

The Rams started the campaign with four senior strikers on their books; Conor Washington, James Collins, Martyn Waghorn and Tyreece John-Jules.

Young forward Dajaune Brown was also available to help out in the case of any injuries to his more experienced colleagues, and was called upon a couple of times before he was loaned out to Gateshead in January.

Nevertheless, after Washington was injured in November, Derby's forward-line started to evaporate, with John-Jules and Waghorn both seeing themselves out of action soon after.

The final straw for Paul Warne came when Collins was ruled out for six weeks after he damaged ligaments in his knee in a 3-0 away win against Exeter City, forcing him to bring Dwight Gayle to the club on a free - a move that quickly paid off.

Dwight Gayle's time at Derby County was short but sweet and effective

The 34-year-old joined the Rams on February 19, five days before a trip to Oakwell to face Barnsley in League One.

Gayle came off the bench with half-an-hour to play but could not have an impact on the game, as Derby lost 2-1 to a top six rival.

On the Tuesday following, Warne's team were beaten once again, falling to a 2-1 defeat to a reinvigorated Charlton Athletic team under the guidance of Nathan Jones.

This was the last time that Derby lost at home in League One, with Gayle grabbing his first goal for the club in the very next match.

The Rams stopped their rut of losses by easing past Port Vale in a 3-0 win, a game that started off a goal-scoring run for their new signing.

The ex-Premier League striker found the back of the net in his next two appearances, against Bristol Rovers and Reading, as his side put together a string of wins.

However, in a promotion six-pointer against Bolton Wanderers, Gayle was forced off after just 20 minutes, ending his season and time at Pride Park early.

Collins, Waghorn and Washington all returned to the squad in the following weeks to give Derby a much-needed boost, and supporters will always be thankful for the six-game wonder's impact in such a short space of time.

Derby County may regret letting Dwight Gayle go if he fires for Hibernian

Gayle was let go at the end of last season following Derby's promotion back to the Championship, although some supporters will wish that he was kept on for the 2024/25 campaign.

He proved that although he is 34, he still has the capacity to score goals at a very good rate in the right environment, and with the veteran striker joining Scottish club Hibernian on Thursday, there could be regrets over his loss.

The Rams missed out on bringing in another number nine on deadline day, and although they did sign Jerry Yates and Kayden Jackson this summer, another forward would not have gone amiss.

Yet, there would have been a drawback of Gayle staying, with Derby reaching the 25-player limit in their Championship squad list already. One of their current squad members would have had to miss out on playing until January, something that could have proven to be a nightmare for Warne.

Nevertheless, Rams fans may watch in envy of Hibs this season, and hope that one of their promotion heroes can stay fit and fire in goals for his new team, although there will be of course regrets from all at Pride Park - including from supporters - if he does show his prowess in-front of goal north of the border.