Rams defender Curtis Nelson has signed a new contract that keeps him at Pride Park until 2026.
Curtis Nelson feels Derby County has a possibility of reaching the Championship play-offs and securing back-to-back promotions.
This Thursday, the central defender signed a new contract that will keep him at Pride Park until at least 2026. Nelson’s current deal was set to end this summer.
It is the culmination of a successful career that began when he signed as a free agency with the Rams in the summer of 2023. Since then, he has appeared in every league game and earned his first promotion to the Championship.
The 31-year-old revealed his delight at extending his stay at Derby: “I am really happy to get it done; you always have an eye on what’s coming next, so I’m just really happy to get it done and to be able to move forward with the club and get on with business.”
“It was fairly simple. It was also quite simple from my end; I knew what I wanted to accomplish and where I wanted to be, so it was an easy conversation for me, and once it started, everything went smoothly.”
Nelson was an early Paul Warne signing almost 18 months ago, and he says he felt right at home as he laid the groundwork for his 46-game League One campaign.
“It did not take me long to feel at ease. I think I was quite settled following last year’s preseason vacation. Once we got into the groove of the season, we started playing games.
“My family is now very close, so it felt the most like home I’d ever played, and it was good to be here. I moved out of Stoke at 16, so I’ve never played this close to home before. It’s great to have my parents nearby; it allows me to spend a lot more time with them.
“I think the club exceeded my expectations because everything that comes with the club like the history and the size of it from the outside, but once you’re engrossed in it and you see what we can, the support that we get at home and away, it’s frightening, it’s unbelievable.”
After securing one elevation, Nelson is now thinking about another. The Rams have made a good start to the campaign, sitting in 12th, six points behind the top six and putting together decent home form.
“Promotion is definitely at the top of everyone’s list, right? You enter the Promised Land, but I believe we are already close to where we want to be.
“I believe the playoffs are definitely within reach; you’re never far away because the table is now quite tight. So I believe it’s one of those seasons where if you put a strong run of games together, you never know what could happen.
“It’s the best group I’ve been involved with. I think as you get older as well, you kind of appreciate the people that you’re around and the staff, it’s a great community club. The feeling you have when you come into work it’s amazing and everyone that you see is always smiling.”
