Derby County confirm second January transfer after deal struck
Derby County have completed the signing of Middlesbrough's Matt Clarke with the defender returning to Pride Park for a third spell with the club.
The centre-back has penned a deal until the end of the campaign after Derby reached an undiclosed agreement with Boro with the move helping to compensate for the loss of Curtis Nelson due to a knee injury which will keep him out for the rest of the season.
Clarke has flitted in and out of Boro's promotion-chasing team this season having made 17 appearances and he scored two goals in a win over Cardiff and a draw against Portsmouth.
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The defender is now in line to make his debut against Sheffield United at the weekend with Derby also aiming to strengthen their backline again in the coming days, hopefully before the visit of the Blades.
Clarke is fondly remembered by Derby fans for two successful loan spells he had at Pride Park having joined the club from Brighton in the 2019/20 campaign. He then spent another season on loan with Derby in the 2020/21 season and made a total of 81 appearances in all competitions.
Another loan spell then followed at West Brom before he sealed a move to Boro for an undisclosed fee and has since made 53 appearances at the Riverside. Boro boss Michael Carrick had been questioned about Clarke's future in the last few days and said he could not rule out a departure for the 28-year-old.
But the Premier League club are closing in on a figure that would sway Derby into selling the centre-back who is keen on the move to the south coast.
