Derby County struck gold with £1m Luton Town transfer agreement | OneFootball

Steve Howard from Luton Town proved to be of of Derby County's most effective signings since the 2000s

Derby County’s £1m capture of Steve Howard proved to be one of the smartest and most influential signings of their modern era.

Derby County’s £1m move for Steve Howard in the summer of 2006 is still to this day one of the club's most effective and value-for-money signings of their modern era due to what he went onto achieve in a Rams shirt.

The striker signed from Luton Town at a point when Derby were certainly on the up and in search of a focal point at the top end of the pitch who could provide goals.

With that responsibility being given to Howard, he quickly became Derby’s talisman, and ultimately will be remembered around Pride Park for being the one to fire them back into the Premier League.

Steve Howard was a signing that shaped Derby County's upward trajectory under Billy Davies

Upon his arrival in the East Midlands, Howard was more well-known among the lower-leagues and built up a reputation for being a striker known for his physical presence and aerial abilities.

However, during his time with the Rams, the Scotsman proved far more than just a traditional target man and was instead the driving force behind a resurgent Derby side as well as a fan favourite.

The goals that he scored were obviously key to Derby's promotion to the top flight in the 2006/07 season, but not many expected him to walk through the door and become the heartbeat of a squad that exceeded all expectations during that campaign.

When Derby paid an initial fee of £1m to bring Howard to Pride Park, the move at first came with a few question marks over his name due to only having one season of Championship experience with his former club Luton Town under his belt at that stage in his career.

Despite being 30 years old when joining the Rams, much of his career was spent in the lower leagues with the Hatters as well as Northampton Town, which didn't fill the Derby fans with confidence that he would be able to walk in as their chosen frontman, especially with Premier League ambitions.

But manager Billy Davies was convinced that Howard’s physicality and willing attitude would give Derby a dimension they had sorely lacked, as highlighted by being his first signing.

Instantly, that belief was justified as Howard certainly hit the ground running in Black and White. The Scotsman seamlessly settled into Derby’s attacking setup and proved that his ability to hold up the ball and bring others into play transformed the Rams’ style.

What followed was one of the Championship’s most influential individual campaigns of the decade.

It became clear early in the 2006/07 season that Derby had struck upon something special as he finished the regular season as the club's top scorer, netting 16 league goals and several more across all competitions.

The defining moments of that season came in the Championship play-off semi-final and final. Howard showed his big-game mentality and was instrumental in powering Derby to Wembley by scoring both goals in their 1-2 away leg win against Southampton, which was followed up by a hard-fought 1-0 win over West Brom which secured their long-awaited return to the Premier League.

Howard had gone from a solid signing to a promotion-winning marksman in the space of ten months.

Steve Howard's Premier League struggles didn't diminish his importance to Derby County

Derby County's Premier League campaign in 2007/08 is remembered for all the wrong reasons, ending with the lowest points total in the division, which is a record that is still held to this day.

Yet even in a season of difficulty, Howard remained one of the few players who consistently gave everything for the badge.

However, Derby were simply outmatched as a squad, and Howard couldn't translate his goalscoring form seen the season prior, into the Premier League and, as a result, completed a loan move which was later made permanent to Leicester City in 2008.

He left Pride Park having delivered precisely what he was signed to do, which was score goals and guide them towards their ambitious target of promotion.

Howard’s transfer remains to be an example of smart recruitment as a respectable fee was met with an immediate impact, and in turn has gone on to make Steve Howard a household name with all Derby County fans.

For supporters, he is remembered as a cult hero for being one of the key figures who helped steer the Rams back to the Premier League, making him a memorable signing that sparked a new era for Derby in the early 2000's.