Nigel Clough has backed new signing Conor Sammon to become a fans favourite at Derby County.
Clough today swooped to bring his long-term striker target to Pride Park from Premier League Wigan Athletic for an undisclosed fee.
25-year-old Sammon has signed a four-year deal with the Rams and could make his debut in tomorrow’s npower Championship clash at Bolton Wanderers.
Clough has monitored the striker’s progress for some time and he is convinced he can make an impact at not only Pride Park, but also on the Championship.
He told Rams Player: “We’re delighted to get Conor in the building and we’re excited to be working with him.
“Ideally we would have liked to have got him in 18 months or so ago, but the lure of the Premier League at Wigan meant we weren’t quite able to get him.
“He will be our main man starting up front, we hope, and we believe he will fit in with not only his energy and enthusiasm, but also his quality.
“Conor first came onto our radar at Kilmarnock where he played regularly and scored goals, and we hope he can deliver a few goals for us along the way as well.
“He will work his socks off for the team and I hope the fans will take to him, because he certainly has the qualities to be a very good player at this level.”
Although Clough was frustrated not to bring Sammon on board in the January transfer window in 2011, he hopes that as a result the Dublin-born frontman will arrive at Pride Park a better player.
Sammon was restricted to only nine Premier League starts for Wigan, but established himself as a firm fans’ favourite for his workrate and endeavour.
Clough said: “He didn’t start on many occasions at Wigan, but he showed when he did come he made a real impact and we’ve been able to see that.
“I think as a player there comes a point where you want to be starting games and playing regularly, and that’s something we feel we can offer Conor.”
Watch Nigel Clough’s full interview on Rams Player.