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Curtis Nelson reveals Derby County target 'top of everyone's list'
Curtis Nelson believes Derby County have a chance of reaching the Championship play-offs and earning a shot at back-to-back promotions.
The central defender has committed himself to that cause by this week signing a new contract that will keep him at Pride Park until at least 2026. Nelson’s current deal was due to expire this summer.
It is the last development in what has been a solid career since he came to the Rams as a free agent signing in the summer of 2023. Since then he has played every league game – and won promotion back to the Championship – the first of his career.
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The 31-year-old expressed his pleasure at extending his stay at Derby: “I am really happy to get it done, you have always got an eye on what's coming next so I'm just really happy to get it done and to able to move forward with the club and get on with business.
“It was pretty simple. It was pretty simple from my side as well, I knew what I wanted to do and where I wanted to be, so it was an easy conversation for me and when the conversation started, it was pretty smooth sailing.”
Nelson was an early Paul Warne signing nearly 18 months ago and he says he felt at home almost instantly, as he laid the foundations for his 46-game League One campaign.
“It didn’t take me long to feel settled at all. I reckon after the preseason trip last year I was pretty settled. Once we got into like the rhythm of the season and then we were playing games.
“My family's quite close now so it did feel the closest to home I've ever played, it was it was nice to be here. I moved out of Stoke at 16, so I've never really played this close to home at all. It's nice having my parents on the doorstep as well, it's brilliant 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's probably at the top of everyone's list isn't it? You get into the Promised Land but no, I think we're not far off where we want to be.
“I think playoffs is definitely within reach, you're never too far away because where the table is at the moment, it's quite tight. So I think it's one of those seasons where if you put a good 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.”
