How is James Chester getting on since leaving Stoke City? | OneFootball

After two-and-a-half years at Stoke City, James Chester would bid farewell to the Potters over the course of this summer.

The centre back had initially joined Stoke on loan from Aston Villa in the 2019 January transfer window, a move that was made permanent in the summer of that same year.

Chester then stayed with the club for the next two seasons, and made a total of 71 appearances in all competitions for the Potters, who remained a Championship club throughout his stay there.

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But after becoming more of a bit part player in the 2021/22 season, and with his contract expiring at the end of that campaign, Chester was allowed to leave Stoke during the summer transfer window.

However, the 33-year-old did not take long to find himself a new club, with it announced in July that he had joined Derby County.

With the Rams needing to rebuild their squad, and put together one capable of competing for promotion from League One, after an administration that led to their relegation from the Championship, Chester was among the first of a long list of players to make a move to Pride Park before the window closed.

Since then however, things have not exactly gone well for Chester from an individual perspective during his time at Derby.

A problem with his Achilles means that the former Wales international is yet to make his competitive debut for Derby, with next week’s EFL Trophy clash with Manchester City’s Under 21s pencilled in as his potential first outing of the season.

In the mean time, Chester has seen his new side claim 11 points from their eight league games so far, putting them 13th in the current League One standings.

Chester will no doubt be desperate to play his part in helping the Rams climb the standings, not least considering the fact that, given he has signed a one-year contract with Derby, this could be a crucial year in the context of his career.