This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Former Sheffield United striker David McGoldrick has been linked with a surprise move to Derby County.

As per Alan Nixon via Patreon, the Rams are keen to add the experienced forward to their squad ahead of their League One campaign following his Bramall Lane release

This comes after it was recently reported that Middlesbrough also held an interest in the 34-year-old.

Nixon states, though, that McGoldrick is just a name on a list of targets for them, though.

With the above in mind, we asked three of our writers here at FLW what they made of the McGoldrick to Derby links.

Alfie Burns

This would be a really good signing for Derby and one that would get a few people sitting up and realising they mean business in League One.

McGoldrick was in impressive form for Sheffield United before his injury setback. He wasn't scoring as many goals as he might've liked, but that was never really his game. His touch was good and he was finding the type of space he could thrive in.

The biggest reason why Derby should see this as a coup, though, is because there is a good section of Sheffield United fans that probably think he could still do a job at Bramall Lane. That's a belief that he's good enough for the top end of the Championship, so he's certainly got what it takes to make things happen in League One.

The question, then, is whether or not he will step down into League One. You can see it, but only at the right club, with it down to Derby to prove themselves as a viable option for the forward.

 

 

Josh Cole

This would be a good bit of business by Derby as McGoldrick could potentially set the third-tier alight with his displays next season.

During his career to date, the 34-year-old has managed to provide a respectable total of 29 direct goal contributions in the third-tier.

By maintaining his fitness over the course of the new term, there is no reason why McGoldrick cannot go on to regularly add to this aforementioned tally.

If Derby nail their recruitment between now and the end of the window, they could emerge as legitimate contenders for promotion in League One.

Billy Mulley

It will be interesting to see how David McGoldrick's situation plays out because in my mind, he is someone who could still make a significant impact at the top end of the Championship.

With the takeover saga now behind them, it is difficult to assess exactly how favourable Derby is as a destination, especially with revenue set to decrease as a result of their relegation.

McGoldrick would be an incredible addition at League One level and has the ability to be an integral part of a promotion push at Pride Park, however, there is an excellent second-tier side in Middlesbrough also in pursuit.

I personally think that McGoldrick should try and stay in the Championship, however, now in the latter stages of his playing career, if the financial package at derby is significantly better, then it is difficult to turn that down.