Derby County backed to complete signing of Sammie Szmodics from Ipswich Town | OneFootball

FLW's Derby County Fan Pundit has urged the Rams to complete the signing of Sammie Szmodics from Ipswich Town this January.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Derby County have been linked with a move for Ipswich Town attacker, Sammie Szmodics, and the Rams have been backed to bring the Republic of Ireland international to Pride Park.

The East Anglian Daily Times has stated that John Eustace's side are keen on a move for the 30-year-old, but there are plenty of other suitors in the Championship.

Szmodics played under Eustace at Blackburn Rovers before moving to Ipswich in the summer of 2024, where he went on to score four goals in 20 Premier League appearances as the Tractor Boys suffered relegation back to the Championship in their first season back in the top flight.

With the Rams lacking goals in recent weeks, one Derby supporter has urged the club to complete the signing of the former Championship Golden Boot winner.

Derby County told to complete signing of Sammie Szmodics from Ipswich Town

Szmodics is yet to find the back of the net in 2025/26, with injuries denying him any consistent form and the versatile attacker is in desperate need of a fresh start.

Football League World has asked their Derby Fan Pundit, Shaun Woodward, if the Rams should sanction a deal for the Ipswich man if given the opportunity. He told FLW: "I think it would be a risk worth taking. He knows John Eustace and his form at Blackburn showed that he's a very good player at this level. He single-handedly kept Blackburn up, and he deserved his move to Ipswich in the Premier League.

"Yes, it hasn't worked out for him at Ipswich, but some players just need to find a home, and he obviously felt comfortable working with Eustace."

Shaun continued: "So, for me, it's definitely a player I'd be really excited to see come in, and it would take the pressure off Morris coming back and hitting the ground running. We could take our time with him and not have to be over-reliant on his goals, because at the moment, our forward line aren't really getting the numbers we need to be pushing forward.

"So, if Szmodics could come in and score some goals for us, then that'd be great for us. He’s someone I definitely think is worth taking a risk on. It'd be great to see him come in."

Derby County's forward options have not been clinical enough

After 26 games in the 2025/26 season, the Rams have scored just 35 goals, with Carlton Morris having found the back of the net 10 times himself.

With Derby's talisman out of action, finding someone to be that leading figure in the final third is vital if they want to push for a top 10 finish in the Championship, and Szmodics could be the answer.

Patrick Agyemang, with six goals, is the Rams' next top scorer, while Ben Brereton Diaz, Rhian Brester and Lars-Jorgen Salvesen all have two each.

Therefore, it is vital that another attacking player is signed, and with Szmodics' history of goals under Eustace, reuniting with the 46-year-old could be a match made in heaven for Derby.