According to TEAMtalk, Derby County are reportedly lining up a move to sign Aberdeen striker Sam Cosgrove.

After a poor start to the season, it is no wonder why Derby – under the guidance of new manager Philip Cocu – are looking to invest ahead of the January transfer window.

So, you might be thinking to yourself, what does this transfer rumour mean for Jack Marriott? How good is he? Or even, who is this man?

Well, we look to tackle all of those questions and more in this latest Football League World Six-Pointer.

Who is Sam Cosgrove?

“Born in Beverly, Cosgrove enjoyed all of his youth football in England at Everton and Wigan Athletic. After a rather unsuccessful spell at Carlisle United, the striker decided to move out of England and head up north to Scotland.

“The moved paid dividends too, after he earned the Scottish Premiership player of the month award in December for his new club Aberdeen. After plenty of goals, the club were assured that they wanted to renew his services. At the beginning of the year, the striker was given a contract extinction until 2022 with the Dons.

“At just 22, the player certainly has some room for development too.”

What sort of striker is he?

“One that scores goals. Standing at 6ft 2in, Cosgrove is a major aerial threat and will certainly cause trouble from set pieces throughout the season. A quicker Chris Martin might be the best way to describe him.

“With six yellow cards already this season, there is no doubt that the striker has an aggressive streak in him too which is imperative in the Championship. “

Where has he been and what is his record like?

“His record, particularly this season, has been outstanding. In nine Scottish Premier League matches, the striker has already netted six goals and it gets even better if we go to all competitions. In 17 games, Cosgrove has scored 15 goals. Clinical.

“Some may think to themselves, ‘but that is whilst playing at one of the better clubs in a relatively poor division’, but what about if we told you that he had grabbed six goals in six games during Aberdeen’s Europa League campaign – would you think differently? You should.”

How would he fit into the Derby team?

“So far, Cocu has started most of his matches with a 4-2-3-1 formation. However, in times of trouble – which has been quite a lot recently – he has switched to a 3-5-2 formation for the last 15 minutes of various league games.

“This has left many fans wanting more from the formation, believing that it would suit their style of play. The Rams are short of wingers and have very attacking full-backs in the form of Jayden Bogle and Max Lowe.

“Aberdeen themselves play the same 4-2-3-1 formation under Derek McInnes but have been known to switch to a flatter 4-4-2 formation on the odd occasion. This means that Cosgrove has already been utilised in a double and single-strike formation which is great news for Derby.”

Who would be his competition?

“Derby have a plethora of strikers already at their disposal. Chris Martin, Jack Marriott, Martyn Waghorn, Mason Bennett and young Morgan Whittaker have played in the striker role for Derby this season. None, besides Martin, have really stated their claim in the role either.

“Waghorn has been shoved out wide for the majority of the season and hasn’t been performing well, Marriott has been injured and is yet to show Cocu the same incredible performances he showed Frank Lampard towards the end of last season and Bennett has been out of contention since the off-field incident involving Tom Lawrence and club captain Richard Keogh.

“All of them have reason to be worried if Derby are serious about signing him.”

How much should Derby pay for him?

“Derby need to be careful not to overpay on another player. They have spent a lot of money on the likes of Ikechi Anya, Nick Blackman, Florian Jozefzoon and Jacob Butterfield in the last five years, none of which managed to succeed at the club.

“However, you can’t help but feel like the club will have to spend a decent amount for such a young, talented and in-from player like Cosgrove midway through a season.

“£2 million should be enough and is a fair price for the striker.”