Why Premier League clubs should have snapped up Matt Derbyshire

We're told that Premier League clubs with European ambitions are desperate to get hold of English-born players to keep their home-grown quotas intact.

We also hear that young strikers with a proven goalscoring record are golddust. So how has Matt Derbyshire been allowed to move from Blackburn to Olympiakos? When the former England U-21 star was on loan there last season, his eight goals in 11 games helped them to a League and Cup double.

Which is why they willingly handed over £3million to keep him, especially after his man-of-the-match display won them the Greek Cup Final.

Observe the number of foreign strikers who will move here this summer for much bigger fees than £3m. Then watch them sink into obscurity as they struggle with the pace of our game.

Derbyshire's career record reads 40 goals in 130 games. He's still only 23. He's a steal.

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Read the rest of Brian Reade's column here - and come back every Saturday for more

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