Sammie Szmodics: Why Blackburn & West Brom should be ready if Derby, Ipswich deal doesn't happen | OneFootball

FLW lists the two Championship clubs who should be monitoring Sammie Szmodics situation at Pride Park.

During the winter transfer window, Derby County secured five new signings to aid their push for the play-offs.

Derry Murkin, Oscar Fraulo and Dion Sanderson arrived on permanent deals, while Burnley winger Jaydon Banel joined on loan until the remainder of the season.

And then on deadline day, the Rams secured the loan acquisition of Sammie Szmodics, with the forward joining for the rest of the term from Ipswich Town after a lack of game-time at Portman Road.

It saw the 30-year-old reunite with John Eustace, with the forward being so successful in the second-tier under his guidance at Blackburn Rovers, where he netted 27 goals in the 2023-24 campaign to clutch the Championship golden boot.

Szmodics will be hopeful of kicking on and getting back on the goalscoring trail while at Pride Park, but if that doesn’t materialise, then the Rams won’t be too keen on making his stay a long-term one.

And after originally leaving Ipswich on loan, it seems his future at Portman Road is looking ominous once his loan spell at Derby runs down.

With this in mind, other Championship clubs could be on alert to try and secure his services during the upcoming summer transfer window.

And FLW lists two second-tier sides who should be showing an interest in the frontman ahead of the 2026-27 season.

Blackburn Rovers

One club Sammie Szmodics could return to is Blackburn Rovers, on the condition that they preserve their Championship status this season.

Languishing inside the bottom three in recent times, Rovers’ 3-1 victory at QPR propelled them out of the dreaded dropzone, with the hope that recently instilled boss Michael O’Neill can transform their fortunes and lead them to safety come May.

And if Blackburn are to progress over the long-term future, then adding Szmodics’ goalscoring ability back into the squad could see them shoot up the table.

Szmodics’ best goalscoring return in the Championship came at Ewood Park, scoring 27 goals in the 2023-24 campaign and playing a huge part in Rovers surviving.

Blackburn showed promise of getting into promotion contention last season under Valerien Ismael when they secured a seventh-placed finish, so adding a proven and recognised lethal finisher could be exactly what they need to be looking up rather than constantly over their shoulders in this division.

Such a fan favourite for his clinical nature, it could be a fairytale reunion, with Szmodics needing an environment where he can get his mojo back, and there’s surely no better place than where he was scoring goals for fun?

West Brom

Another club who should be on the lookout to bolster their forward department is West Brom, but again, that will be very much dependent on whether they will be a Championship side next season.

The Baggies are expected to lose two of their three recognised forwards at the end of the campaign, with Josh Maja and Daryl Dike both seeing their contracts run down.

Meanwhile, the financial shackles clouded by Guochuan Lai’s reign are expected to be lifted ahead of the 2026-27 term, meaning the Albion hierarchy would be more free-spending and able to build a squad good enough to challenge for promotion back to the big time.

But first, Albion must ensure that they secure their Championship status, with the Black Country outfit hanging precariously over the bottom three, while supporters are concerned about Eric Ramsay’s inexperience at second-tier level in the midst of serious relegation trouble.

But if the Baggies can battle their way through the tricky period they find themselves in, then recruiting someone of Szmodics’ ilk could be exactly what they need to replace their expected losses.

Albion have missed a crucial spark in the final third for too long now, with it contributing to the lack of goalmouth action in the West Brom team and their fall down the standings under both Ryan Mason and Ramsay.

Szmodics’ ability to score goals at a regular rate at this level could see him turn into one of the first names on the teamsheet, with the number 10 hole desperately needing to be filled if the Baggies are to do any positive things in this division moving forward.