JOHNNY Russell's arrival from Dundee United and the signing of Chris Martin from Norwich City to join Jamie Ward and Conor Sammon means Derby go into the season with four strikers of good pedigree.
Add to that the versatility of Michael Jacobs and the exciting potential of Mason Bennett and there is a promising look to the striking options.
Jacobs, a wide player, can operate as a forward when needed and Bennett, who turned 17 this month, will predominantly continue his development in the under-21 side and aim for some first-team game time off the bench and could even go out on loan.
Callum Ball is also likely to play much of his football in the under-21s. The 20-year-old spent last season on loan at Coventry City where he was hindered by injuries, lack of form and a shortage of first-team opportunities.
Nathan Tyson and Theo Robinson are still at Derby, but both strikers have been available for transfer since the end of last season and their futures appear to lie elsewhere.
Clough says Russell, Ward, Sammon and Martin will complement each other and provide options when it comes to pairings.
Russell is similar to Ward in some ways. He has played in a wide attacking role but his preference is through the middle. Clough says the Scot is an intelligent player who is at a good age, 23, to improve. He is also hungry to prove himself in English football.
He hit 20 goals for Dundee United last season despite missing more than two months with a broken leg. His record at United was 46 goals in 120 games.
"From what we've seen of him, we believe he can transfer that form to the Championship," said Clough.
Ward was Derby's top scorer last season despite missing three months of the campaign due to hamstring trouble.
His dozen goals came in 26 appearances, and he found the net in bursts – four times in eight games before he was injured and then seven times in 10 outings on his return although he scored only once in his last eight appearances.
How many more he would have scored had he stayed fit, we will never know but Derby missed the menace in attack he can provide when on form.
Sammon was criticised by some for his goal return, nine in 46 games, but his willingness to graft for the team was beyond criticism.
His work rate and desire to run the channels unsettles defenders. Yes, he should score more and his touch at times can be better but how much he creates for others should not be overlooked.
His fitness levels deserves praise, too. He has featured in every game since he signed from Wigan last summer. His 46 appearances in his first season included 43 starts.
In March, he had played a full game for the Republic of Ireland in their crucial World Cup qualifier against Austria and three days later he produced a tireless display in Derby's 3-0 home victory over Bristol City, testament to his fitness, attitude and strength of character.
The simple fact is that Derby last season were stronger with Sammon in the team.
His game also lends itself to being an impact substitute, as we saw in the 1-0 victory over Millwall in the final game of last season.
Millwall had held Derby at arm's length and looked reasonably comfortable before Sammon replaced Martin 10 minutes from time.
The change was the last thing Danny Shittu and his fellow defenders wanted to see. Shittu had provided a formidable barrier as Derby struggled to draw him out of his comfort zone which stretched across the width of penalty area.
Sammon's marauding runs move defenders from their comfort zones, and with five minutes remaining he exchanged passes with Ward and rolled his finish underneath David Forde to settle a contest that was heading for a goalless draw.
How ironic it was to see a player who had divided opinion like no other Derby player have the final say in the Rams' Championship campaign.
Clough uses Sammon as an example of why it is important to have a group of strikers to rotate.
"Maybe the emphasis was on too many players last season to do it every week for us, which is why we wanted to improve the overall group, and certainly on the bench to give us better options," said the manager.
"We used the lowest amount of players in the division last season. We relied on a group of around 18 and for them to carry the burden was a big ask.
"Conor is a prime example, he started almost every game for us during the season but we didn't have the good enough options to give him a breather."
With Tyson and Robinson out on loan, Martin arrived on loan from Norwich City towards the end of February to add to the striking options.
While Sammon can run beyond defenders, Martin prefers to come off his marker to receive the ball. His neat control and awareness allows him to bring team-mates into play, which could suit the busy Russell and Ward.
Two goals in 13 games during his loan spell was not a return to write home about but Martin was unfortunate to have a couple of goals chalked off by over-eager linesmen. Replays showed he was onside on both occasions.
Martin can finish, and evidence of this was seen when he arrowed an excellent first-time strike low past Cardiff City goalkeeper David Marshall in a 1-1 draw in the Welsh capital.
Supporters like to see strikers scoring goals, although fans of promoted Cardiff and Hull would not have been concerned that the leading league scorers at their clubs last season failed to reach double figures.
Russell can boast the best goals-per-game ratio of the four strikers. His 55 in 157 appearances is a goal every 2.85 matches.
Of the quartet, Ward has scored most career goals. He has 75.
Will there be a 15 to 20-goal-a-season striker for Derby this season? Time will tell.
Conceding goals rather than scoring them was the main problem last season. Of course they would have liked more than 65 in 46 League matches but champions Cardiff bagged only seven more and runners-up Hull City scored four fewer!
Goals on the road were in short supply.
The Rams managed only 22 in 23 fixtures and only two teams – Ipswich Town and Bristol City – scored fewer. Clearly, it is an area in which Derby must improve.
With options in attack, it might be that the goals will be spread around as we saw when Derby reached the play offs in 2004-05 when George Burley's side had four players in double figures – Grezgorz Rasiak, Inigo Idiakez, Tommy Smith and Marcus Tudgay.
In only two seasons since, 2006-07 and 2011-12, have Derby had more than one player in double figures in the same campaign.
Steve Howard and Arturo Lupoli broke the barrier in 2006-07, the Rams' promotion season, and Steven Davies and Theo Robinson two seasons ago.
Dean Sturridge, in 1995-96, remains the last Rams player to hit 20 goals in a season.
