Derby County striker James Collins has issued a ‘massive’ claim about the Championship following the Rams’ return to the second tier.
Collins’ hand in firing Paul Warne’s men to promotion was massive, as despite missing eight games towards the end, the ex-Luton talisman scored 19 goals in all competitions.
Warne relied on the 33-year-old and Nathaniel Mendez-Laing to produce magic in the final third, doing so to devastating effect as the pair contributed to an impressive 42 goals between them.
The club managed to tie Mendez-Laing down to a new contract till 2026 in January while the future of Collins is still very much in the air.
His contract expires this summer and it is yet to be announced whether he’ll be given a new deal, though that hasn’t stopped him from looking forward to the season ahead.
James Collins says the Championship is a ‘massive’ league
Collins last played in the Championship during his time at Cardiff City in the 2021/22 campaign.
The Republic of Ireland sharpshooter only netted three times in 26 appearances for the Bluebirds, enjoying his most prolific spell at Luton.
Collins hit double figures in each of his two second-tier campaigns with the Hatters, netting 14 in 2019/20 and 10 in 2020/21.
| James Collins’ Championship record | Games / Goals |
| 2019/20 (Luton Town) | 46 / 14 |
| 2020/21 (Luton Town) | 42 / 10 |
| 2021/22 (Cardiff City) | 26 / 3 |
The veteran striker will be looking to rediscover his scoring touch from his time at Luton in the Championship, although he’s claimed it is a ‘massive’ league and there is so much competition.
Speaking to the Official EFL Podcast, he said: “I think the Championship has got to be one of the toughest leagues in the world.
“The amount of teams you get in it and the stature of clubs; you see the lads coming down from the Premier League at the end of the year and big clubs coming up from League One.
“Then teams who are in the Championship who won’t go up or down. It’s a massive massive league and some fantastic clubs in there.”
James Collins is ‘excited’ about Championship return
Collins may be one of several players out of contract at Derby – 12 to be exact – but it is hoped by many supporters that he is given an extension.
He’s etched his name into the fabric at Pride Park and deserves one more shot at the Championship having ended as the club’s top scorer this term.
Sharing his excitement about the chance to play at such a level and waiting for the fixture list to be announced, he added: “I think when that fixture list comes out and this fantastic club is in the mix, it’s one of the best things; where we going first game, who are we playing over Christmas and who have we got last game. It’s going to be exciting times for the club.”
Derby have been exiled from the second-tier for two years and during that period, they were hit with several point deductions which put the club at risk of ceasing to exist.
David Clowes of course stepped in and the rest, as they say, is history.
The Rams will now hope to pull off a similar success story as Ipswich Town, who are closing in on a return to the Premier League just one year after their promotion from League One.
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