Derby County will hope £300k winger can now follow Tom Ince blueprint | OneFootball

Corey Blackett-Taylor is showing promising signs that he could finally fulfill his potential at Pride Park

Derby County's Corey Blackett-Taylor is showing promising signs that he could finally fulfill his potential at Pride Park, just as Rams fans saw with former favourite Tom Ince.

Since arriving in January 2024 from Charlton, initially on loan for a fee of £300k before signing on permanently, Blackett-Taylor has managed just one goal in 25 appearances across all competitions.

The stark contrast is evident when comparing that output to his final six months with the Addicks, where he scored more goals and played more league matches than he has managed since joining Derby 18 months ago.

There's no denying that the winger's struggles have been well-documented - a hamstring injury kept him on the sidelines for 15 matches, which didn't allow him to feature under his new head coach John Eustace at all.

Corey Blackett-Taylor could now follow blueprint set out by Tom Ince

The pathway Blackett-Taylor needs to follow has been done before in the East Midlands, with Tom Ince providing the perfect blueprint for how a struggling winger can turn their career around at Derby - albeit Ince's problems were before signing for the Rams.

During his initial loan spell in the second-half of the 14/15 season, arriving from Hull City, Ince scored an impressive 11 goals in 18 appearances - earning him Sky Bet Championship Player of the Month for April 2015.

It's worth noting that Eustace played 13 league games for the club that same season - having re-signed from Watford two years earlier, in 2013.

Before Ince had his Derby move made permanent that upcoming summer for a club-record £4.75m, he'd made 13 appearances in total for both Hull and local rivals Nottingham Forest, and scoring just once.

He had joined the Tigers from Blackpool a year prior for £2.3m, before being sent out on loan to Forest until December, after finding himself out of favour in Yorkshire.

Ince's revival at Derby shows how the right environment and management can unlock a player's potential - and he went on to score double-digit goals in all of his three seasons with the club.

Signs of a potential Blackett-Taylor breakthrough

The encouraging signs for Blackett-Taylor are already evident in pre-season, where he has rediscovered his goalscoring touch with four goals in four matches - whilst winning two penalties along the way.

In an interview with journalist Dominic Dietrich, Blackett-Taylor revealed he can handle the pressure of what's expected of him at Derby.

"Personally, I'm fine with pressure like that," he told BBC Radio Derby.

The winger later went on to discuss his feelings on proving to Eustace what he's capable of, saying, "I always knew that once I got back fit, I'd back myself to show the manager what I'm about to try get back into the team."

"When he came in last year, he knew that I was injured and he came and spoke to me straight away and told me that he will do everything he can for me and that he would be patient," he continued.

His performances in friendlies have certainly caught the eye of Rams fans, and the direct running he's shown so far is a key attribute in what made Ince a special player at Derby.

Eustace has proven to help wingers before

Having just signed for La Liga outfit Espanyol, Tyrhys Dolan was one of Eustace's key players when the pair were at Blackburn Rovers together.

In 44 Championship games last season, the 23-year-old winger netted seven goals and managed six assists, as Rovers finished the campaign two points from the playoffs in 7th.

When Eustace became Derby's boss, Dolan mentioned how Eustace meant a lot to him and that the head coach helped him both on and off the field - something that could likely be happening with Blackett-Taylor at the minute.

Ultimately, with a new season approaching, the conditions appear ideal for Blackett-Taylor to follow the Ince blueprint at Derby - and the past few games have clearly shown he's on the right track.