Derby County must green-light attacker's Pride Park exit | OneFootball

Kayden Jackson has been linked with a move to Wycombe Wanderers, and now is the right time for the winger to move on.

For Kayden Jackson, the 2025/26 season has been difficult. The winger has made 19 appearances for Derby County so far this campaign, but has started just twice.

He is yet to score or register an assist for the Rams, with his last goal for the club coming against Luton Town in December 2024 in a 2-1 defeat at Kenilworth Road when Paul Warne was in charge of the East Midlands outfit.

The 31-year-old featured in every single league game last season after joining from Ipswich Town on a free transfer, but the arrival of Rhian Brewster, Ben Brereton Diaz and Patrick Agyemang has seen his importance take a substantial hit.

Now, the winger has been linked with a move to League One outfit Wycombe Wanderers, while MK Dons are also interested in Jackson. For Derby, moving the former Tractor Boys forward on is vital this January as John Eustace continues the rebuild in DE24.

Derby County must let Kayden Jackson go in the January transfer window

There is no denying that Jackson did make a strong impact when he first arrived in the East Midlands, scoring in each of his first three games at Pride Park. Strikes against Middlesbrough, Chesterfield and Bristol City perhaps led Rams fans to believe that they had a star on their hands.

However, Derby's number 19 has struggled for form ever since, and his lack of output in the final third has made it incredibly difficult for Eustace to find a place for him in his starting XI, and he has not started a game since his side's 5-3 defeat to Coventry City in August.

It's been six years since Jackson last scored more than three league goals in a season, and it was in League One when he tasted that success as he struck 11 times for Ipswich in the 2019/20 campaign. It's only the second time he has hit double figures, having also done so for Accrington Stanley in 2017/18 when he scored 15 goals and registered 15 assists.

Jackson still possesses the pace to be a threat in the third tier and even more so in League Two, but his confidence has been diminished over the course of the last year-and-a-half, and it may take time for the winger to find his feet no matter where his next destination is. Yet, for Derby, it is just vital that they let go of the Bradford-born man.

Kayden Jackson's departure would save Derby County a significant wage

The Rams have already had a busy January, with Dion Sanderson making his loan move from Birmingham City permanent, while Oscar Fraulo has impressed since joining the club from Borussia Mönchengladbach earlier this month.

However, Ebou Adams' departure rocked the fanbase after being a favourite at Pride Park for the last two years. Nevertheless, his exit was a sign of the club moving on from the past and pushing forward with new ambitions and Jackson would be joining him with his potential sale.

According to Capology, Jackson earns an estimated £12k-a-week, and this is a substantial portion of the wage bill that would be better spent elsewhere. His lack of game time is perhaps proof that Eustace does not see the 31-year-old with much of a future at the club.

Jackson does still have another year on his contract at Pride Park after signing a three-year deal on arrival, but it seems incredibly unlikely that he will see that out and reuniting with former boss Warne at MK Dons could be the perfect way for him to get the minutes he needs, with the possibility of promotion also a factor. Meanwhile, Wycombe will hope the pull of League One football will be too much for the attacker to reject.