Derby County and Blackpool will both make this Tom Ince claim: View | OneFootball

Only a handful of players can say they have had the privilege of playing for both Blackpool and Derby County throughout their careers.

Richard Keogh was the latest of them to do so, joining the Seasiders from Huddersfield Town back in 2021, having spent seven years in the East Midlands and coming so close to achieving Premier League football with the Rams.

But one player enjoyed successful spells at Bloomfield Road and Pride Park during the early stages of his career, with both clubs feeling responsible that they managed to get the best out of him, having struggled for form in recent seasons.

Tom Ince's Blackpool statistics

Having started his career within the youth set-up at Liverpool, Tom Ince would be sent out on the first professional loan move of his career with League One side, Notts County, linking up with his father, Paul, who was the manager of the Magpies at the time.

In eight appearances, Ince would score two goals and get one assist before returning to Merseyside in the January transfer window. Despite his Dad's desperate attempts to resign his son for the remainder of the season, Liverpool rejected the offer, and he would leave the club at the end of the season on a free transfer, joining Blackpool in the Championship on a two-year deal.

In his first season under Ian Holloway, the midfielder would help the Tangerines reach the play-off final, having contributed eight goals and 10 assists in all competitions, including a strike to level the game up at Wembley against West Ham, a game they would go on to lose late on.

Ince would start the following season in fine form, netting six goals in seven games while also recording six assists, including three in a 6-0 win over Ipswich Town. His form sparked interest from Liverpool, who were eyeing up a £4 million bid and Reading, who offered just below Blackpool's £8 million valuation, but he would remain at Bloomfield Road.

He would end the season with 18 goals and 14 assists in all competitions, and would win The Football League Young Player of the Year award. A fee had reportedly been agreed for Ince to join Cardiff City, but the player would remain with Blackpool, despite further interest from Aston Villa and Everton.

The start of the 2013/14 season would again see Ince hit the ground running, netting seven goals leading into January, and despite being offered a new contract, would play his final game for the club in a 2-0 away defeat to Barnsley, ending his Blackpool career with 33 goals in 113 appearances.

Derby County move reignited Ince's career

Ince would go on to join Crystal Palace from Blackpool despite having a number of huge clubs circling for his signature in the January window, with the likes of Ajax and Monaco linked with the midfielder.

After his contract at Bloomfield Road expired, he would join Hull City but would struggle to make an impact in the first-team, joining Nottingham Forest on loan until December, and would join their East Midlands rivals, Derby County, in February until the end of the season.

And it was with the Rams that Ince would rediscover that goal-scoring touch that had seen him attract European interest. Under the guidance of Steven McClaren, Ince would score 11 league goals in 18 appearances, and would sign permanently at Pride Park the following season for a club record fee, believed to be around £4.75 million.

Ince would continue to flourish the following season, providing 19 goal contributions in all competitions for Derby, including a first professional hat-trick against Bristol City just before Christmas. Ince endured a difficult spell midway through the season, not scoring in 12 league and cup appearances, during which Derby lost five times, drew twice, and scored just three goals, resulting in the sacking of Paul Clement and Ince being demoted to the bench.

His final season in the black and white of Derby came the following year, and it would take him 10 games to score his first goal of the campaign against Cardiff, but he would go on to score 14 more in all competitions, ending the season as the Rams' top scorer before sealing a move to newly-promoted Huddersfield.

Ince will be thankful for Blackpool and Derby stints

Since his move from Derby to Huddersfield, Ince has not been able to deliver that goal-scoring promise he showcased so often as a youngster.

Ince's move to Stoke City came with a big £10 million price tag, and he struggled to deliver at the Bet365 Stadium. He would link up with his father once again at Reading, and now finds himself in the Championship with Watford, but has been reduced to just substitute appearances this term.

Both Blackpool and Derby will claim they got the best years out of Ince during his respective time with the club, with both sets of supporters hopeful the midfielder can rediscover the form that made them fall in love with him all those years ago.