Amidst calls from Rams fans to bring Shefki Kuqi now the player is available on a free, Nigel Clough has made it clear he has no intention of bringing the player back to the Rams.

It seems that any hope of Kuqi returning to Pride Park have been put to rest as the former loan player does not seem to be on the Rams managers radar nor in his plans for the future.

Nigel Clough spoke to the DET about the Finnish international:

"We are aware of how well he did for us early on, he didn't do so well after that and spent the last month on the bench. I don't see how he is going to give us too much different at the moment”.

Many Derby fans would disagree and I am positive Clough himself knows why his supporters are so keen to see him back in a Rams shirt.

Sadly our manager is bred of stubborn stock and the rumours of a fall out between Shefki and Nigel would explain the sudden benching of the player during his loan spell and the continuing cold shoulder even when available from the bargain bin.

Perhaps it has something to do with the Fins well documented aversion to training hard. With Clough being a firm believer in high levels of fitness and tough training sessions it would not be hard to believe that would have caused some friction.

Robbie Savage stated in his autobiography that his mate was one of the least enthusiastic players on the track he had ever played with. It’s all just speculation and theories but whatever the truth it seems any possibility of a return is now at an end.

Rams Continue Player Hunt

Reports indicate that Liverpool have agreed to their 20 year old central defender Daniel Ayala to join Derby on loan now that the player and his agent have also agreed.

After returning to full training following a minor injury the youngster is seen to have a big future at Anfield and the club are keen to get him regular first team football as he develops. Clough is keen to give him that football and the deal should be finalised on Monday.

The Rams have made no secret about their pursuit about attempting to sign Martyn Waghorn from Leicester and it seems despite the Foxes reluctance to loan him Derby are still chasing the lively striker.

Nigel Clough spoke to the DET about the situation:

"We would love to bring him to the club, I think he would be ideal at the moment and we are speaking to Leicester almost on a daily basis trying to persuade them to let him out"  

"It is still the case where we think we can get a better deal and better quality with a loan but we are not going to sign players for the sake of it."

Waghorn has been told to stay and fight for his place at the Foxes but it seems they will not stand in his way if he decides he would prefer not to play second fiddle to the high class strike force Sven has assembled at the Walkers Stadium.

Finally rumours also have Derby in Scotland to watch Conor Sammon play for Killmarnock today. Various Scottish media outlets had suggested that an offer had already been made for the Irishman but the Rams have since denied that.

If Derby is genuinely interested they could not have had a more high profile chase for the front man who has hit 17 goals this campaign. They will need to move quick as interest has been reported from elsewhere in the Championship and time is running out.

Time is of the essence and unless the Rams have more irons in the fire that we are unaware of (please let there be!!) there is a good chance of the window closing leaving Derby with little to show for their work.

After the sale of Hulse and Commons this season and injuries littering its defence, if a strike option and defender cannot be added by close of business Monday, fans will once again be asking questions of GSE and their support of the manager.

There is still time on the clock but leaving it to the last minute is rarely a good tactic in any scenario, let alone when trying to strengthen a squad.

Photo: Action Images

colin added 11:01 - Jan 29 Great article, we have sold our two top strikers in the last two windows, does this club have any ambition at all or are we planning another delegation battle????
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prideparkpete added 12:27 - Jan 29 When Shefki Kuqi played against us for Crystal Palace a couple of seasons back, he drew my attention to what a big strong chap and almost a bully that he was around the box..he drew a couple of defenders to him on their attacks and often just muscled his way forward to great effect. I couldnt understand why in the following weeks Neil Warnock, their manager at the time, said he was happy to release him. So then we saw him go to Swansea and score 7 goals in 16 starts only to be given to Derby on loan...so what is that all about. He goes back to Swansea after becoming a hero at Derby (Not unlike the great Igor) and he doesnt even get on to their bench in the next several games until they release him on a free. What is it about this solid working and scoring football player that nobody wants him after a short while with a club? The bit i read aboiut him not wanting to train too much doesnt add up, if he gives it on the pitch, that surely doesnt matter, were not all of the same physical needs and, we musnt forget Paul McGrath who in his latter years couldnt train due to the pain but still gave his worth on a matchday. This Shefki thing is really odd.

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Tutbury_Ram added 09:14 - Jan 31 Shefki must be one of very few players to the come off the pitch of every game giving his all, for Nigel to dismiss out of hand any kind of offer to him is baffling to say the least, I am desperate to see some good news coming out of Derby, but because of Nigel's distaste, poor judgement or just pig headedness it does not look like Shefki's return will be that glimmer, a quick bit of advice to our owners too, if I were you I would stand down a good percentage of your season ticket sales staff because I see another, even greater exodus of S/T holders for the 2011/12 season.

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