Opinion: Derby County should challenge Portsmouth for 13-goal striker this summer once Chris Kirchner takeover is completed

There is finally a light at the end of the tunnel for Derby County after months upon months of uncertainty.

At one point it looked like Rams fans wouldn’t have a club to support for the 2022-23 season, with no deal seemingly in sight – until Chris Kirchner returned to the fold.

After a brief flirtation with Preston North End, the American businessman returned to the race to take control of County, and after so many months a preferred bidder was finally named.

Kirchner aims to be the new custodian at the club very, very soon and of course it all depends on Pride Park no longer being in the hands of Mel Morris, but Wayne Rooney should soon be able to start planning for the 2022-23 season in League One.

The majority of Rooney’s current squad are out of contract and when deals are able to be tabled, some will no doubt stay but others will move on.

The England legend will no doubt have his eyes on some fresh faces though going into the summer, and strikers will be on the agenda as for parts of the season, Derby have not had a recognised centre-forward whatsoever.

Considering the stature of the club, Derby should probably be aiming for a proven League One goalscorer and one player who has shown his killer instinct in-front of goal in the third tier this season is George Hirst.

A player who had a big reputation as a youngster at Sheffield Wednesday – and had a big name to live up to as well with his father being three-cap England international David Hirst – Hirst was handed a senior debut for the Owls at the age of 17.

However he would exit the club in 2018 in favour of a switch to OH Leuven of Belgium, having made just two senior appearances for Wednesday, but the switch to continental Europe was a pre-cursor to join Leuven’s