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Paul Warne opens up on negotiations over new Derby County contract
Derby County boss Paul Warne has spoken for the first time about Curtis Nelson’s new deal at Pride Park.
The 31-year-old defender has signed a new contract until 2026, having been a key figure in the Rams' promotion from League One last season and strong start to life back in the Championship. And Warne is delighted he has put pen to paper to extend his stay with the club.
He said: “Nels has played virtually every minute for me since I signed him. He’s been excellent. A real gladiator of a defender and I like my defenders to defend.
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“Aggressive in both boxes and a really good human. Brilliant off the pitch, a great leader and great bloke and I think he deserves his contract.
“It’s not a charity. If he wasn’t performing then I wouldn’t give it out, but he’s performed on a regular basis. Touch wood, he’s always virtually been fit for selection so they’re the players you want the club to go forward with.
“What is good about Nels to be fair is I spoke to him three or four times. I know there was conversations with the press and I pretend nothing is happening, but it wasn’t a hard negotiation. It was just like ‘you need to wait until this time of the year and we’ll definitely do something’. And he never knocked on my door and had a hissy. It was ‘OK gaffer, let me know when it’s happening’.”
The Rams return to Championship action at Preston on Saturday (3pm) looking to build on a solid start to the season. They are currently in 12th place in the table after 15 matches, six points adrift of the play-offs, which is the target for Nelson.
Speaking after signing his new deal, he said: “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 play-offs 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.”
