Derby County paid £3m for striker as Peterborough United cashed in - there was only one winner | OneFootball

Jack Marriott had scored 33 goals for Posh before signing for the Rams

Derby County signing Jack Marriott from Peterborough United in July 2018 ended up being a transfer masterclass from Posh, despite moments of brilliance in a Rams shirt.

The numbers behind Marriott's initial season at London Road tell the story of a player hitting peak form at exactly the right moment for Peterborough to cash in.

After arriving from Luton Town for an undisclosed fee in the summer of 2017, Marriott netted 27 league goals - 33 across all competitions - in 56 appearances.

He claimed the League One Golden Boot, won multiple player of the year awards at Posh, and earned a place in both the EFL League One Team of the Season and the PFA Team of the Year.

Frank Lampard was "delighted" Jack Marriott signed for Derby County

Sky Sports reported that Derby paid around £3m to bring Marriott to the East Midlands, and add-ons could see the fee rise to £5m.

There's no doubt that, for a then-23-year-old League One striker with just one standout season under his belt, it was incredible business from Peterborough United.

It's worth noting that Marriott scored 12 and 16 goals in the previous two seasons before joining Posh - a club that has seemingly built their entire business model around developing young talent and cashing in at the perfect moment.

Frank Lampard was clearly convinced he had secured a gem, telling Derby's website at the time: "I'm delighted that Jack has chosen to join Derby and I believe this is another great addition to our squad.

"Goalscorers are always sought-after and Jack certainly has been in demand. He scored an incredible amount of goals in League One last year and, at 23, we know he can still develop and get better too," Lampard added.

Frank Lampard then benched Jack Marriott in the play-off final

What the Rams got for their investment - in a summer where they also paid around £5m for Martyn Waghorn - was a player who never quite recaptured the prolific form that had lit up the third tier.

In his debut 18/19 season at Pride Park, Marriott managed a respectable 13 goals in all competitions, with 10 coming in the Championship.

However, these numbers tell only part of the story - even though he played in 43 games across all competitions, he started just 24 league matches.

Despite his two goals overturning a 2-0 aggregate deficit in the play-off semi-final second-leg against Leeds United, Lampard opted to start Mason Bennett up top against Aston Villa at Wembley.

Leaving both Marriott - and Waghorn - on the bench, the decision proved costly. You can still remember the groans around Wembley when everybody checked the team news.

Marriott entered the fray as a 63rd-minute substitute when Derby were already 2-0 down. Though he scored to give the club hope with nine minutes remaining, the damage was done.

Lampard then defended his decision not to start Marriott. "What you saw when Jack came on is what I expected although I didn't want us to be 2-0 down, but I expected his freshness to really hurt the Aston Villa defenders in the second half of the game, and I think it did," he told DerbyshireLive.

Jack Marriott's magic quickly faded at Pride Park

After Lampard's departure to Chelsea in July, mere months after Wembley, Marriott managed just three goals in 37 appearances during the 19/20 season.

To be fair, this shows he wasn't fancied under subsequent management, but Derby fans still questioned then-manager Philip Cocu's decision to send him on loan to Sheffield Wednesday.

The Dutchman understood their reaction, but said: "Yes, of course, and opinions always will be there but there is also that they are not here, they do not know how we work every day and what is the situation exactly."

Marriott was eventually re-signed by Peterborough before the start of the 21/22 season on a free transfer, after being released by Derby.

Ultimately, Posh's timing was perfect - and for multiple reasons - Derby's gamble never paid off. Yes, he'll always have the play-off semi-final against Leeds, but there was only ever one winner in the deal.