Szmodics Joins Derby On Loan
Monday, 2nd Feb 2026 21:30

Town have confirmed that forward Sammie Szmodics has joined Derby County on loan for the rest of the season.

TWTD revealed earlier this evening that the 30-year-old was closing in on a loan switch to the Rams, a deal sheet having been submitted prior to the 7pm deadline with the clubs having been unable to agree a fee for a permanent move. It’s understood it’s a straight loan with no obligation or option to buy in the summer.

Wrexham, who like Derby made an approach last week, failed to progress their interest, while we understand there were other Championship sides keen on a deadline-day loan.

Szmodics has had a frustrating season with Town due to injury and illness but recently returned to the team and scored his first Portman Road goal in the victory over his old club Blackburn Rovers.

The Blues signed Anis Mehmeti from Bristol City with the Albanian international able to operate as a number 10, where Szmodics has played this season, as well as on the left side of the attack.

Szmodics, who joined Town from Blackburn for £9 million in the summer of 2024, will hope to play and score regularly for the Rams as he looks to win a place in the Republic of Ireland squad ahead of a possible World Cup finals appearance in the summer.

The one-time Colchester youngster won’t be available to play against the Blues when the sides meet at Pride Park on Saturday.

Szmodics’s departure was the only outgoing business on what was generally a quiet deadline day at Portman Road.

The Blues are reported to have made a number of offers to Millwall for 24-year-old winger Femi Azeez, however, claims Town were prepared to break the Lions’ transfer record to make the signing are believed to be wide of the mark. It’s likely Azeez was viewed as a potential replacement for Szmodics.

Town’s only new deadline-day recruits were the expected additions of U21s players Ryan Doherty from Stevenage and Frankie Runham on loan from Chelsea.

Central midfielder Doherty, 17, joins on a permanent basis, while forward Runham, 19, is initially on loan but with the move set to be made permanent in the summer if an option is triggered.

Town had looked for a senior striker over the course of the window but ultimately brought no one in to add to their existing number nine options, George Hirst, Ivan Azon and Chuba Akpom.

It’s understood a number of potential new attacking recruits were put to manager Kieran McKenna but the Blues boss felt none were better than the players already at his disposal.

Town made two senior signings during the window, Mehmeti for an initial £3 million from Bristol City and midfielder Dan Neil on loan from Sunderland.

Elsewhere, former Blues loanee Kalvin Phillips joined Sheffield United on loan from Manchester City.

Photo: Matchday Images

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Stato added 08:01 - Feb 3 ,@billm thanks for correcting.
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Stato added 08:13 - Feb 3

I'm amazed to read thst we tracked Azon for 2 years. This sums up how bad our recruitment team is. How is he sny better tham AlHamadi ? Yes he puts in a great effort but he produces very little. He was 5th choice at Como who under Fabregas have made great strides but he is second at Ipswich and there is no evidence from previous seasons to suggest he will ever be anything but behind Hirst in the pecking order.

Theipswich added 08:14 - Feb 3 I liked Sammie....you can't be a Championship top scorer for nothing.We could rue this decision but he should be our ace striker not Derby's...
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Phil1969 added 08:18 - Feb 3 We will undoubtedly have a recall clause if needed. Never going to start so will get fit with Derby or not win win. No point also in signing a nine no better than we have. What team in the Championship signed a strong center forward. So difficult in January.
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Lukeybluey added 08:20 - Feb 3 Our recruitment the last couple of seasons is reminiscent of the last time we went up to the prem... When we have money to spend we struggle to spend it wisely.. If I'm not mistaken when in the prem we were looking to buy Brobbey who is at Sunderland, and Igor Jesus who is now at Forest...
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Marinersnose added 08:24 - Feb 3

The rumours about in house fighting are almost certainly true so Szmodics is shown the door but to a team fighting against us for a top six spot. Derby bullied us at PR and Morris will be back this month for them. They are serious rivals.
So if we haven’t signed a striker why not play our current players in their strongest position in order to get the best out of them.
Akpom and Egeli both playing in roles where they’re unlikely to be a significant goal threat. That was also the case with Szmodics. Neil has to start in midfield for the rest of the season as we look lost in there with Cajuste underperforming.

Bazza8564 added 08:29 - Feb 3 Marinersnose. Absolutely! Disciplinary issues here, and "illness" yeah right. Sorry we've done the right thing with SS, loan better than accepting below market fee. Hirst is so out of form we simply have to start using Akpom and Azon as the 9s in rotation, and hope they start t get some fluency with more game time
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Linkboy13 added 08:54 - Feb 3 After criticising our recruitment 2 years ago McKenna must be having nightmares it's not getting any better let's hope Mehmeti and Neil are a success.
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Steve_ITFC_Sweden added 08:58 - Feb 3

Clearly the management team realised we need a number 9 as evidenced by the fact that we were in for Wilson, Bamford, and Piroe, but without success. However, we are stronger with Mehmeti and Neil. There's no point getting a player in who won't improve the team, and this time it looks as if no-one suitable was available. But we still have a strong squad, so now we will concentrate on the jobs in hand, starting with Pompey. COYB!

Robert_Garrett added 09:19 - Feb 3 We will see how effective the measures have been after 46 games and not before. Dribble and tap in doesnt work at this level of kick and rush. How often have we been caught out on the break. If we score first we win. Perhaps try shooting on sight permit? We have second most goals and the least goals against so that says something positive about the system?
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blueboy1981 added 09:22 - Feb 3 ITFC doesn’t need to be successful these days, there are obviously enough happy clapper supporters who do and will accept expensive failure. No more definite proof needed than right NOW unfortunately !
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Broadbent23 added 09:31 - Feb 3

Town now have a well stocked midfield, both wings and number 10 slots; but failed to find a good striker to create competition upfront. I don't think the transfer team were looking abroad due to adaptability issues. Sad to see Smoody go on loan as he is a local lad. KMc has his reasons . If we can win tonight then the remainder of February will be more fruitful. Each time the team is tinkered with we get the jitters and we become unbalanced. 17 games left and plenty to play for without Smoody.

Lightningboy added 09:52 - Feb 3 If we turned down £5m from Wrexham as mentioned the other day then this is a bizarre move. Some of the decision making this season has been daft to say the least..on & off the pitch. Should've brought Chaplin back (now approaching his peak years) or kept Cam Humphreys imho.
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bignics added 09:56 - Feb 3

If you want to buy something new but just look in one shop you probably won’t get a good deal you need to look in all the shops…. Sadly our recruitment team seem to only look in the championship for players hence the lack of a striker that has really got to change as it is costing us badly and we have overspent on average players Mcateer who is league 2 at best highlights that!
We seem to take good players like sammie and ruin them by McKenna being a one trick pony playing wise, could we not try 2 up front just once!

carsey added 10:54 - Feb 3 IMO a total waste of a player who has proved he can score at this level IF he is played in the correct position in a team playing attacking football. Town are basically playing walking football this season - slow predictable & no intensity.
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notoriousITFC added 11:07 - Feb 3

Given that Szmods won't be able to play against us, but strengthens a decent team when they face our other rivals - a loan makes a lot of sense.

The reality is, he no longer fits in our system. His best position for us has been wide left which is where he's stronger. Mehmeti and Nunez are preferred in the no. 10 and we're not set-up for the counter-style football that saw him score so many for Blackburn as a false 9.

It doesn't do the player or the club any favours for him to sit on the bench. I'm sure there is a plan somewhere to regain some of the fee in the future (although does potentially seem a harder task in the summer).

Jugsy added 11:26 - Feb 3

Sammy lost his head a while ago, cut a frustrated figure and was a negative energy on the pitch. For all our hopes with me, it's not delivered the way anyone wanted. Mehmeti already looks like he fits the system better and Nunez is our preferred 10, so best for all parties to dip out.

Also, who cares about the transfer fees?! A loan to Derby means he can't play against us, same as Chappers. Looking after player interests makes us an amenable destination for players, that we won't stand in their way should interests change. Derby will take points from teams we're competing against and surely we back ourselves to do better than them.

We've literally had a two-game blip and now everyone is going nuts. Social media, keyboard warriors, nay-sayers are killing the fun and enjoyment of being a supporter. All this 'i'm entitled to an opinion' nonsense. Didn't your parents ever tell you if you haven't got something nice to say then don't say it!? 'I know better than the club' BS that people spout it absolute garage. Back the manager, back the team and appreciate the progress the club has made - or find something else to fulfil your day.

55015Deltic added 12:12 - Feb 3 Stato spot on. Recruitment is where its all gone wrong........ = why don't we buy Abroad like Mick Mills advised months ago?? - that's what Norwich do. Sell Szmodics he's done nothing and cant fit into McKenna's system, he's too old anyway.
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Dissboyitfc added 14:29 - Feb 3

Hey blueboy record breaking back to back promotions not successful? In both of those seasons you slated KM and MA saying you didn’t trust them to get us promoted! In both of those promotion seasons we were way off going into the final weeks of the season, first Wednesday then Leeds.
The season in the premier didn’t go well agreed, but Don’t let facts of what has been achieved since Km and MA ruin your rants blueboy, priceless as always and hilarious really!

blueboy1981 added 14:51 - Feb 3

Dissboyitfc …. Yes, you are hilarious forever talking ‘in the past’ - when do we next get another reminder of where we were with Evans ownership, and where we were then ? - as commiseration of recent failures i.e recruitment, relegation, etc; - and failing again in by far the worst standard of Championship for years !!
Will we achieve more than a mid table finish this season ??

Linkboy13 added 17:18 - Feb 3 Any excuse on here to have a dig at McKenna. If the signings go wrong it's McKenna's fault if they are a success it's well done Ashdon such small minded people some on here. Smzodics has done no better than Hirst but his mates up the road think he's the dogs horlicks do us a favour go and support Col U.
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armchaircritic59 added 18:19 - Feb 3

Linkboy13, it would be interesting to know exactly how the land lies re our recruitment team. Who is reporting to who etc? I know one thing for a certainty. If in the extremely unlikely case I was interested in a managerial vacancy and was being interviewed at a club, one of the very first things I'd make crystal clear to the prospective employer is this. I would be 100% in sole charge of the playing side of things. That includes any and all transfers. I and my recruitment team pick the targets we want, no one else. Then we go to whoever is responsible for the wheeling/dealing. No CEO/Chairman etc should ever be anywhere near deciding targets. Most of them wouldn't know a decent player if one slapped them on the face. If I didn't get the answer I wanted, I'd be out the door very quickly.

Is KM getting players foistered on him by others? If so I'd back him for turning them down. It's not their business. I'd have already left the building if that was the case. No doubt the supporters will never find out the truth. The important business of signing players should be done in the summer anyway. One other thing that has crept under the radar. Apart from the striker/no striker hullabaloo, I believe the great majority of people were expecting a reliable stand in for Matusiwa. Well neither Neil nor Mehmeti are stand ins, and we have no other midfield players who would call that their prefered role. So it's not just the front man we have failed to get, it's Matusiwa's back up too.

Dozzells_Bobblehat added 19:52 - Feb 3 Is this the awful recruitment that brought in Philogene , Clarke ( both who were being slagged off a few months back), Nunez, Kipre, Furlong etc .
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armchaircritic59 added 20:16 - Feb 3

Dozzells Bobblehat, I guess we'll all find out whether it was awful recruitment or not, by the end of the season. As for Philogene and Clarke, I'm with you on that. I certainly wasn't slagging them off, in fact in a tidal wave of resistence, I was standing up JC in particular. Just like I'm doing now these days, with Kasey McAteer, the latest arrival on the scapegoat conveyor belt.

philpott2 added 13:15 - Feb 4

In relation to this post, and the centre-forward comments, I've resigned myself to the fact that McKenna simply wants the main man to harass and hustle, wear out the opposition defence and ultimately allow the nippy / skilful wingers to get opportunities to shoot and score goals (which is wholly dependent on whether they have their shooting boots on, and whether we've conceded goals already by 70 minutes).
We might be one of the top scorers in the Championship, but I bet we are top by miles in relation to 'shots blocked', mostly weak efforts I might add, and are probably highest for opportunities offered to the opposition when we have attacking dead ball situations be it corners or free kicks, too.
We may be doing well in the goals conceded but opportunities offered are far far higher than they should be with the money we have spent.
It's also extremely boring to watch, with so little intensity. The teams that break quickly and in numbers against us, do manage to create a lot of opportunities in and around our penalty box... sometimes they score, usually they just miss, often they are blocked last ditch or saved