FORGET Manchester United's multi-million pound capture of Juan Veron or Arsenal's stunning swoop for England centre-back Sol Campbell.

One of the biggest transfer scoops of the summer saw Derby boss Jim Smith tempt fiery Italian Fabrizio Ravanelli into a return to the Premiership.

At 32, the former Juventus hit-man is ready for one last swan-song after putting pen to paper on a lucrative two-year contract.

But whether his signing turns out to be one of the most inspired moves of Smith's managerial career or possibly his biggest ever faux pas, only time will tell -- starting with Rovers' visit to Pride Park tomorrow.

Whether you love him or hate him -- and opinion seems to be firmly divided -- it's impossible not to have a view of the man nicknamed 'the white feather.'

During his last flirtation with the Premiership, the flamboyant frontman proved beyond doubt his reputation as one of most potent finishers in the world after scoring an incredible 33 goals during his debut season for Middlesbrough.

But, aside from his achievements on the pitch, it was his antics off the field which courted just as much as publicity and ultimately shattered morale at the Riverside -- resulting in Boro's ignominious slide into Division One.

Rovers midfielder Craig Hignett was a team-mate of Ravanelli's at the time and knows all about the two sides to his complex character.

He remembers vividly the ructions his spell in the North East created -- including a famous brawl on the morning of the 1997 FA Cup final!

But he is also well aware of the threat he poses on the pitch and he has warned the likes of Henning Berg and Co that they need to be on red alert.

"He'll definitely bring goals, that's for sure," said Hignett.

"He's a fantastic finisher who works tremendously hard so he's the ultimate pro, really.

"So I didn't have a problem with him on the pitch, it was off the pitch where the problems were.

"He upset a few people through silly little things, mainly.

"Personally, he was always fine with me but it was the other things he said about the club and some of the other players which was a bit out of order.

"In the build-up to the Cup final, he wasn't happy about something I think Neil Cox had said about him and in turn he said something about the other players.

"So it ended up with them all brawling on the grass on the morning of the match."

It's that explosive side to his nature which makes his signing such a gamble for Smith -- and so intriguing to the rest of the football world.

If Derby are to defy the bookies once more and steer clear from the dreaded dropzone, then a sense of togetherness is paramount to their hopes of survival.

But Smith knew what he was getting when he identified the former Italian international as his top summer target.

And, though he knows the potential risks involved, it was a gamble he was only too willing to take.

"Fabrizio is right up there with our biggest ever signings," said Smith.

"I'm excited that he's here and the players are excited, too.

"When he trained with us for the first time and we did a shooting session, all the other lads were trying to show off to Fab and they probably scored more goals than he did.

"If good players arrive, standards are raised and the aim this summer has been to improve the team and improve the goalscoring.

"The directors knew how determined I was to sign him.

"There was talk at one time of a contract for a year but I thought that unfair for a player of his standing.

"So we sat down, thrashed it out, and came to the right conclusion in the end."

Now Ravanelli is determined to repay that faith and, judging by his sentiments so far, he appears to have learned from his mistakes from the past.

"Derby have placed great trust in me but I'm fitter than I've ever been and I'm more experienced than in my time at Middlesbrough.

"Right now, I'm at the peak of my career, there are some good young players here and I think I can help them to improve."