Derby County pulled off a coup by signing this intriguing star. Derby County will be hoping that by returning to the Championship, Pride Park will become an even more appealing venue to attract new players. Paul Warne’s Rams have lost no time in pursuing a number of targets, with interest in Barnsley midfielder Herbie Kane growing, as the newly promoted team seeks to enter the second tier unaffected by the step-up in quality after a spell in League One.
The Rams are unlikely to pull off a coup in this transfer market like they did in 2000, when they signed one maverick who was previously on the radar of Barcelona before winding up in Derbyshire.
Georgi Kinkladze’s experience at Derby
Georgi Kinkladze is better known to English football fans for his time at Manchester City, where he scored 21 goals and assisted five times in 115 appearances. However, his time at Derby after leaving City may be overlooked. arriving the Rams ranks for £3 million in 2000, after first arriving on loan from Dutch powerhouse.
Kinkladze would be remembered as an enigmatic presence in Derby white, with many a skillful and cunning display up his sleeve. The exciting 5 foot 8 attacker would score seven goals and assist nine times for Derby over four seasons, leaving ex-Rams teammate Danny Higginbotham “speechless” with his ball abilities.
The former Manchester City star would even play for Derby in the division below the top-flight for a brief period, despite many of his former teammates waxing lyrical about his immense ability, with former Rams defender Wayne Barton also describing Kinkladze as a “wonderful little player” in an interview with DerbyshireLive in 2021, before calling time on this patch of his career in 2004 to move
Out to Cyprus. The now-retired 50-year-old is warmly remembered in Pride Park quarters for his impactful time in Derbyshire, with the £3 million spent to sign him appearing to be an acceptable price to pay to see such a talent perform near-peak before his career died out elsewhere.
Using TotallyMoney’s Transfer Index to calculate how much the intriguing Georgian would cost today, Derby would still be a bargain, undoubtedly, even with today’s higher fees factored in. Kinkladze’s Transfer Value in 2024
If this similar coup move were to occur in 2024, Kinkladze would only cost the Rams £11.4 million, which does not seem like a high price to pay.
That would make the former Derby midfielder the most expensive signing in Rams history, although not by a by one, as Matej Vydra remains Derby’s record purchase at £8 million.
Vydra only scored 20 more goals than Kinkladze during his stint at the club, but he did so as a striker, making the ex-Man City man’s exorbitant fee partly justifiable.
recognized as a magician in Manchester’s Sky Blue half and a maverick to Derby fans, Rams fans today will hope for entertaining Championship matches for their team, with new heroes recognized in the process.
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