Derby County warned against £3m transfer - 'I'd be very shocked' | OneFootball

FLW's Derby County fan pundit has given his verdict on the club's pursuit of Chukwubuikem Ikwuemesi

Derby County will be aiming to once again finish inside the top eight in the Championship in 2026/27.

Eighth wasn’t good enough for a play-off place last season, but the competition is expanding to include two more teams from the next campaign.

So the Rams can equal their record from 2025/26 and it would open the door to a possible promotion back to the Premier League, where they haven’t competed since 2008.

The Championship side have already added Bobby Clark to the squad on a permanent basis after his loan spell with the team last season.

Charlie Taylor and Filip Bilbija have also joined Derby, with the pair both signing as free agents for the new term.

John Eustace has until 1 September to conclude any further additions, with it being reported that a deal is close to being reached for Nigerian striker Chukwubuikem Ikwuemesi.

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When asked about the possibility of signing Ikwuemesi, FLW’s Derby fan pundit Shaun Woodward claimed that he’d be surprised if this deal came to fruition given the potential cost of the deal along with his lack of experience at this level.

He has also warned the Rams that this wouldn’t necessarily be the kind of signing that the team needs at the moment, even if there are some aspects of his game that are appealing.

“I'd be very shocked to see this transfer happen,” Woodward told Football League World.

“We’ve been linked with a lot of players of late, there’s been a lot of advanced talks going on apparently.

“We’ve spent big on Clark, we’ve potentially put in a bid for Szmodics, which I’m hearing could be anywhere between £3 and 4 million, which I think is excessive, and potentially another £3 to 4 million on Ikwuemesi.

“He’s not played in any kind of level that’s the intensity of the Championship.

“I'd be very surprised if we’re going to take a punt on someone with that kind of money.

“His goal ratio of one in seven is not great.

“I’m not saying that someone can’t come here and make it happen because we have players in the past with dodgy statistics, so to speak, with goals to game — Kazim-Richards springs to mind — so it can happen for players.

“On the plus side, he’s still young, 24 is no age, and he’s obviously a strong boy, six foot five I think.

“So he’s got a lot going for him, but I’d be very surprised.”

Woodward has highlighted the lack of attacking options at the moment due to Ben Brereton Diaz and Sammie Szmodics’ departures, as well as Rhian Brewster and Patrick Agyemang’s injuries, but he remains sceptical that a deal for the OH Leuven player will go through.

“Having said that, we are in desperate need of attacking players and wide men as well,” he added.

“It seems silly to be bringing in someone that’s six foot five when you haven’t got the wingers to put the ball in the box because that’s an area that we desperately need [to improve].

“Obviously, with Diaz returning to his parent club, [Jaydon] Banel going back as well, Szmodics left, we haven’t got him anymore.

“Brewster is injured, Agyemang is injured, Salvesan doesn’t look like he’s part of Derby’s plans.

“So you’re relying on, at the moment, Clark in the 10, Morris through the middle, but Morris needs support as well.

“If anything happened to him, we’re in serious trouble.

“So we do need strikers, we do need wide men.

“This is someone I do not think will happen.

“But, again, if Eustace thinks it’s someone that can give us a different option and he thinks he could make the team stronger, then I would support that.”

Ikwuemesi contributed four goals last season to help Leiven finish 12th in the table in what was his second season with the club.

The Nigerian has also featured in Serie A, playing 25 times in 2023/24 for Salernitana as the team suffered relegation to the second division.

But he could now make the switch to English football through Derby, if they can strike a deal with the Belgian Pro League side.

Eustace will be hoping to bolster his attacking options before the market shuts on 1 September, particularly with the number of absences in that area at the moment.

Agyemang could miss the rest of 2026 due to an Achilles issue, leaving the Rams a little light in attacking firepower going into the new campaign, which gets underway on 15 August with a trip to face Charlton Athletic.

Derby County deal for Chukwubuikem Ikwuemesi depends on the cost

Ikwuemesi could be a solid rotation option to add to the squad for next season given Agyemang’s injury issue.

However, spending £3 to 4 million for a secondary option that could fall down the pecking order by January wouldn’t be the best use of their resources.

The 24-year-old has decent top level experience, but his track record in front of goal isn’t inspiring, so it’s hard to imagine him scoring enough to become a key figure under Eustace.

But he is a similar profile to Agyemang, which could make him a solid backup to have in the short-term.