Derby County will hope, as a result of moving back up to the Championship, that Pride Park becomes an even more attractive place to encourage new incomings through the door.
Paul Warne's Rams have wasted no time in going after a number of targets, with links to the likes of Barnsley midfielder Herbie Kane heating up, as the newly promoted side aim to head into the second tier unfazed by the step-up in quality after taking time out in the League One wilderness.
The Rams are unlikely to pull off a coup in this transfer market similar to the one they secured back in 2000, however, when they managed to sign one maverick who was once on the radar at Barcelona before ending up in Derbyshire.
Georgi Kinkladze's time at Derby
More well known to fans of English football for his spell at Manchester City, where the Georgian attacking midfielder would amass 21 goals and five assists from 115 appearances wearing Sky Blue, Georgi Kinkladze could be forgotten about when it comes to a stint he had at Derby after playing for City.
Joining the Rams ranks for £3m in 2000, after initially joining on loan from Dutch giants Ajax, Kinkladze would go down as an enigmatic presence donning Derby white with many a skilful and tricky display up his sleeve.
Possessing skills on the ball that could leave you "speechless" according to ex-Rams teammate Danny Higginbotham, the entertaining 5 foot 8 attacker would net seven goals and pick up nine assists playing for Derby across four seasons.
The former Man City great would even play for Derby in the division below the top-flight for a brief period despite many of his former teammates waxing lyrical about his immense ability, with former Rams defender Wayne Barton also describing Kinkladze as a "wonderful little player" in an interview with DerbyshireLive in 2021, before calling time on this patch of his career in 2004 to move out to Cyprus.
The now retired 50-year-old is fondly remembered in Pride Park quarters for his impactful time in Derbyshire, with the £3m forked out to land him looking like a reasonable price to pay to watch such a talent still perform near to his peak before his career fizzled out elsewhere.
Using TotallyMoney's Transfer Index to look at what the captivating Georgian would cost now, Derby still wouldn't be ripped off, arguably, even with today's inflated costs taken into account.
Kinkladze's transfer value in 2024
If this same coup move were to go through in 2024, Kinkladze would only cost the Rams £11.4m, which doesn't feel like too hefty of a price to pay.
That would make the former Derby midfielder the most expensive capture in Rams' history, however, but not by a huge distance with Matej Vydra still Derby's record purchase at £8m.
1. Matej Vydra
£8m
2. Krystian Bielik
£7m
3. Bradley Johnson
£6.9m
4. Tom Ince
£5.7m
5. Martyn Waghorn
£4.7m
Vydra only ended up scoring 20 more strikes than Kinkladze during his time at the club, but as an out-and-out striker, with the ex-Man City man's inflated cost somewhat justified as a result.
Remembered as a magician in the Sky Blue half of Manchester as well as a maverick to Derby fans, Rams supporters in the present will hope there's entertaining matches to come in the Championship for their side with new heroes remembered in the process.
Derby struck gold selling injury-prone star who'd cost £23m in 2024 money
Derby County sold this former star on for some major profit.
ByKelan Sarson