Ipswich Town couldn't turn down Derby County transfer - but they laughed to the bank | OneFootball

Derby County signed Martyn Waghorn for £5m from Ipswich Town in 2018, but he failed to find consistent form with the Rams.

In the summer of 2018, Derby County went on a significant spending spree, as Mel Morris looked to back Frank Lampard after enticing the Chelsea legend to the club in his first managerial gig.

The likes of Jack Marriott, Scott Malone and Florian Jozefzoon all made their way to Pride Park on permanent deals, with Harry Wilson, Fikayo Tomori and Mason Mount having their breakout seasons while on loan from the Premier League.

However, with Matej Vydra departing the East Midlands outfit for Burnley for a reported £11m, the Rams had even more funds to play with, and they were keen to show the rest of the Championship that they were going to be in the play-off race.

Their attention turned to Ipswich Town's Martyn Waghorn, with the forward having proven himself in the 2017/18 campaign with the Tractor Boys. He was a target throughout the transfer window for Derby, and Lampard eventually got his man.

Ipswich Town were the real winners of Derby County, Martyn Waghorn deal

The current Anstey Nomads forward had only made the move to Portman Road in the summer of 2017, leaving Rangers following a two-year stint in Scotland, but he quickly re-adapted to the Championship.

Waghorn, who had come through the ranks at Sunderland before finding success with Leicester City early in his career, scored 16 times in the second tier for Ipswich in 44 league games. However, he was also a creative spark, registering 13 assists as the Suffolk side finished 16th.

Derby had seen just how impressive the then 28-year-old had been and with top six ambitions, they made a move for him. After Vydra's departure, the Rams signed their new attacking star for a reported £5m, as he agreed a three-year deal at Pride Park.

He made his debut just days later, as Lampard's side were beaten 4-1 by Leeds United, and he would miss out against his former side as Ipswich visited DE24 just weeks after he left the club. While his first goal would come at the start of September, it would be another three months until Waghorn found the back of the net again.

A hat-trick against Rotherham United in March was the peak of the attacker's 2018/19 campaign, and he was unable to get back to the form that he showed with the Tractor Boys. The £5m fee had not been repaid in his first year in the East Midlands.

Martyn Waghorn made a great connection with Derby County but did not reach his Ipswich Town heights

Waghorn had not quite been the prolific goalscorer in his first season at Derby that he was for Ipswich, and this issue would follow him throughout his time at Pride Park.

In the 2019/20 campaign, he became the Rams' main striker, and did reach double digits. He scored 12 times for Phillip Cocu's side as they missed out on the play-offs, but it would prove to be the beginning of the end for the South Shields-born ace in his first stint in black-and-white.

The 2020/21 season was difficult for all in DE24, and while his former side were languishing in League One, Waghorn scored just five goals in the Championship. Two of those came on the final day of the campaign to keep Derby in the second tier, but it would prove to be his final goal for the club for a few years.

He moved to Coventry City for 2021/22, as the Rams entered administration, and while he eventually returned to the Rams for a short stint in League One, it was Ipswich who saw the best out of the now 36-year-old, and they will always be grateful for the £5m fee he brought in.