Selling Matej Vydra and bringing in Martyn Waghorn could well put Derby County on the road to promotion.

Last season’s golden boot winner is going to have to be sold to help balance the books, but bringing in Ipswich Town’s top-scorer would provide Frank Lampard with a well-balanced squad and plenty of firepower.

The loss of a 21-goal striker is never easy to overcome. However, it also provides an opportunity. Having already secured Jack Marriott from Peterborough, Lampard will find himself having two in-form strikers at his disposal should he sign Waghorn. This will free up his tactical options.

As a manager new to the profession, this is crucial. Lampard has no managerial experience and so is yet to work out what style of play works for him. As he finds his feet, the side will undergo plenty of tinkering at the start of the season and having a better-rounded squad provides flexibility to allow for this.

Not relying so much on one player comes with other advantages. It removes the fear of how to replace him when injured and, in no longer relying on one player to provide the majority of the goal threat, defences can be attacked in different ways. The second half of the season saw Derby fade away and almost miss the play-offs as teams worked out to defend against them. Having both Waghorn and Marriott will allow Derby to evolve their style accordingly. It might prove crucial as Derby look to kick the habit of tailing away in the second half of the season.