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FLW's Derby County fan pundit has given his verdict on the potential signing of Conor Chaplin

Derby County are planning for next season after narrowly missing out on a place in the play-offs.

The Rams rose from 19th to eighth in the table over the last 12 months, with John Eustace’s side finishing just four points adrift of Hull City in sixth.

The Derbyshire outfit haven’t competed in the Premier League since 2008, and this was their highest finish in the Championship since earning a top six finish under Frank Lampard in 2019.

Eustace will now be hoping to improve the first team squad over the summer in order to maintain their position in the standings, with the play-offs expanding to include seventh and eighth next season.

While it is still early days in the transfer market, the club are already identifying targets that could arrive ahead of pre-season.

Derby invested heavily in the squad last year, and they could be in line for another busy summer of activity once the market opens next month.

Conor Chaplin or Sammie Szmodics for Derby County

It has been exclusively revealed by FLW that Derby are interested in a move for Conor Chaplin as a free agent this summer.

The playmaker departed Ipswich Town following the end of his contract, and he spent the previous campaign on loan at Portsmouth.

When asked about the potential signing of the 29-year-old, and if he’d be an upgrade on Sammie Szmodics, FLW’s Derby fan pundit Shaun Woodward claimed that the two players have a similar profile.

He believes neither have been at their best since their initial breakout campaigns, suggesting the Ireland international struggled while on loan at Pride Park from Ipswich last season, while Chaplin didn’t set the world alight at Fratton Park.

“It’s a tough one for me, I think Conor Chaplin is similar to Szmodics in some ways, where I think he’s had one breakout season in his career where he’s got the golden boot, looked a top notch striker, and then pretty much flattered to deceive the rest of his career,” Woodward told Football League World.

“Think [Chaplin’s] scored three or four goals in the last two seasons, so he’s clearly not been on it — albeit one of those seasons was in the Premier League, and it’s hard to judge, but last season in the Championship he didn’t really set it alight for Portsmouth.

“I think you could argue he was in a struggling side that didn’t create much or score goals, but even so his stats didn’t look great last season.

“Szmodics didn’t really set the world on fire either for Derby, he flattered to deceive.

“I think he was a big name that came in and he had a couple of alright games for us, one being the final game of the season, but really I expected more from him.

“I don’t know was he just carrying knocks and niggles, and he was never really fully fit, it’s hard to judge without giving someone a pre-season.”

Woodward claimed that the signing of Chaplin would be similar to Ben Brereton-Diaz and Rhian Brewster, and that it could be a low risk, high reward move to add him to Eustace’s squad this summer.

“So, Chaplin is kind of quite similar to quite a lot of players we’ve brought it on loan in the last couple of seasons, like Diaz, Brewster (I know we signed Brewster), players that have had a really good season at some point in their career, but their career has kind of fallen off track a little bit,” he added.

“These aren’t bad players to bring in, they’re normally low value, there’s not much risk to be taken with, and hopefully you can rediscover the form that got them the praise they had after their breakout seasons, and then you’ve got a really good player on your hands.

“So, Conor Chaplin, I’m not writing him off because there’s clearly a talented player there, it’s just whether he can find a home and then kick on, a bit like we did with Brewster to a degree, and Diaz.

“I think both of them had great seasons.

“I wouldn’t be averse to getting Conor Chaplin, I just think there’s not much between him and Szmodics if I’m totally honest.”

Chaplin contributed two goals and three assists from 40 appearances in the Championship last season, helping Pompey secure their survival in the division.

Meanwhile, Szmodics scored four from 29 games in the second tier, including on the final day against Sheffield United in a 2-1 loss.

Chaplin is currently available as a free agent, while his former Ipswich teammate has a contract with the Tractor Boys until June 2028.

It remains to be seen whether Derby can convince either player to make the move to Pride Park over the summer.

Conor Chaplin could work well for Derby County

Chaplin didn’t have the best homecoming at Portsmouth this season, and his Ipswich career ended with a whimper.

But at his best he showed what he can contribute to a team with promotion aspirations, playing a key role in the Tractor Boys going up in 2024.

Eustace surely still sees that same player there somewhere, and could back himself to help bring it back out of him next season.

If Derby can get the best out of Chaplin, then he would be a brilliant signing, and the fact he’s available as a free agent now makes it all the more appealing due to the relatively low cost of bringing him in.