Derby County gave Frank Lampard pretty significant backing in the summer as the new boss looked to bring in players to add to his squad.

The hope is that the Chelsea legend will be the man to finally end Derby's stay outside the Premier League, with this their 11th campaign in a row in England's second-tier.

And, the Rams have been keen on throwing money at doing just that in the past - but it's fair to say many of the signings have not worked out.

One that undoubtedly didn't is Nick Blackman, who joined the East Midlands side for around £2.5m in January 2016.

At the time, the club hoped he would be the man to push the Rams on as they looked to win promotion under Paul Clement, but it's fair to say he was a gamble that backfired.

He arrived with good pedigree having scored 13 goals in 28 Championship games up to that point, although the fee looked hefty for a guy that was out of contract in six months time.

Yet, nothing worked for him once he made the move to Pride Park.

Firstly, Paul Clement was sacked just a month later, with academy boss Darren Wassall stepping up and Blackman struggling to establish himself as a first-team regular.

With the likes of Chris Martin, Johnny Russell, Tom Ince and Darren Bent already at the club, he was limited in terms of his opportunities.

Although, Blackman didn't help himself. He failed to score in 15 appearances in that campaign, which ended in disappointment for Derby.

They made the play-offs but a first-leg capitulation at home to Hull, where they lost 3-0, meant they didn't make the final despite a 2-0 away victory.

Since then, Blackman has gone on loan to Maccabi Tel-Aviv and now Sporting Gijon, as he looks to resurrect his career.

It's fair to say that most fans at the time, not just followers of Derby, felt he was a signing that wasn't needed and that's exactly how it worked out.

Here was some of the immediate reaction to the deal when it was announced in January 2016...

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