Derby County will pray Ipswich Town curse doesn't repeat if Sammie Szmodics signs | OneFootball

Derby County are interested in Sammie Szmodics, but their last two signings from Ipswich Town did not have much success at Pride Park.

Derby County have set their sights on their third signing of the January transfer window, with John Eustace targeting Ipswich Town's Sammie Szmodics after a tough campaign for the forward.

The Republic of Ireland international played under Eustace while he was at Blackburn Rovers, scoring two vital goals on the final day of the 2023/24 campaign to retain the Lancashire outfit's Championship status. In that same season, he won the division's Golden Boot award, and earned a move to the Premier League.

However, that move to Ipswich has not worked out for the 30-year-old, and despite scoring on his full debut for the Tractor Boys against Manchester City in August 2024, he has added just four more strikes to his tally since. Only one of those has come this season, and therefore, Kieran McKenna is welcome to let Szmodics go.

Derby have had a bid rejected for the former Peterborough United man already, as per EADT, but they still have the chance to return with the transfer window open until Monday. But, their last two signings from Ipswich have left a lot to be desired, and the Rams will hope it's not a hat-trick of poor signings if a deal does go through.

Kayden Jackson and Marcus Harness did not light it up at Derby County after Ipswich Town exits

Szmodics would be the third player in the last year-and-a-half to swap Portman Road for Pride Park if a fee is agreed between the two Championship clubs, but he will be hoping to have more success in black-and-white than the other two ex-Tractor Boys men.

In the summer of 2024, Kayden Jackson made the permanent switch to Derby from Ipswich, joining as a free agent. However, he has scored just four goals in all competitions, and since finding the back of the net against Luton Town in December 2024, he has not registered another strike or assist.

This is despite playing every single league game for the Rams last season, and 19 times in 2025/26. But, his game time has been severely limited, and it looks as though his time at the club is coming to an end.

Meanwhile, Marcus Harness joined the club in the latter stages of the same transfer window on loan. Yet, he never truly found his form until March, and he slowly won fans over. Nonetheless, with just four goals and three assists from 41 Championship appearances, more was expected from the 29-year-old.

Sammie Szmodics' connection with John Eustace could be the difference

While Jackson and Harness both had difficulty making a mark at Pride Park, with the former's struggles still continuing, Szmodics has all the ability to ensure that the Ipswich/Derby curse is put to bed.

He scored 27 goals for Blackburn in the 2023/24 campaign, with Eustace coming in to ensure that Rovers did not suffer relegation to League One. The current Rams boss got the most out of the Republic of Ireland forward, and this may well continue if a move is agreed.

Szmodics cost Ipswich £9m in August 2024, and they will be looking to recoup a decent percentage of that fee. However, if he does score goals for Derby, then this could be an excellent move for all parties.

Yet, at 30, this could be his final chance to impress and help a side to promotion to the Premier League, as the Rams eye a top six finish in the Championship. But, if history does repeat itself, then those at Pride Park may well just hope that the Tractor Boys' number 23 is the final player to move to the East Midlands from Suffolk for a period time.