Why Derby County should look to recruit Lyndon Dykes from Livingston
Back in December 2019, the Herald had claimed that Derby County were interested in signing Livingston striker Lyndon Dykes. However, the Rams didn’t make a move for the striker in January and no deal happened.
Born in Australia to parents of Scottish heritage, Lyndon Dykes, 24, played for Mudgeeraba, Merrimac, Redlands United, Gold Coast City and Surfers Paradise Apollo in his homeland before moving to Scotland and rising to prominence with Queen of the South in the second-tier.
He racked up 23 goals and 34 assists in 136 appearances for Queen of the South across all competitions, which earned him a move to the Scottish Premiership with Livingston in January 2019.
Having spent the remainder of the 2018/19 campaign on loan at his previous club, the 24-year-old has been in great form for Livingston this term, registering nine goals and five assists in 25 Premiership games.
Considering his consistent impressive displays for Livingston up top, Derby County must rekindle their interest in Dykes during the summer window.
Phillip Cocu arrived at Derby County last summer, having taken over the managerial reins from Frank Lampard. Working hard to rebuild the Derby squad, Cocu initially struggled in the first six months of the season. But the turn of 2020 has seen his side gain some momentum and confidence.
Back-to-back wins of late have seen the Rams close the gap to five points between themselves and a play-off place, with chances of Cocu’s side sneaking into the top six still alive. They can fully concentrate on picking up positive results both at home and away, and who knows where that could take them in a few months’ time.
Come summer, Cocu must definitely strengthen his squad. One area the Dutch manager should address is the lack of firepower up front, with Derby managing 49 goals in 37 games. Martyn Waghorn is the club’s top scorer with 12 goals, whilst the likes of Tom Lawrence and Chris Martin have chipped in with 9 and 10 goals respectively.
January addition Wayne Rooney has made an immediate impact at Pride Park, contributing with three goals and two assists in 11 games. However, the likes of Jack Marriott and Florian Jozefzoon have struggled to deliver the goods this term. Meagre return of 49 goals in 37 games suggests that the attacking players up top just haven’t done enough to help Derby in their pursuit of promotion.
Keeping the Rams’ goalscoring problems in mind, Cocu should go for Lyndon Dykes. The 24-year-old has netted 12 goals and supplied 10 assists in 33 games across all competitions for Livingston this season. Not only has he been effective in front of goal but also has shown his ability to create opportunities for his teammates, as evident from his 10 assists in the Scottish Premiership.
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Verdict
The Australia-born star is a centre-forward by trade but can also play on the left flank or as a secondary striker when required. His versatility would come handy and open up options for Cocu. All in all, Dykes would be a top addition for Derby if he is able to replicate the same form he has shown in Scotland.
Thus, the Rams must not hesitate to sign Dykes from Livingston during the summer transfer window.
