'I'm honestly gutted' - Fresh reaction given as Paul Warne plots Derby County transfer | OneFootball

FLW's Derby County Fan Pundit has weighed in on Curtis Nelson's expected departure from the Rams.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Curtis Nelson is closing in on his Derby County departure, two-and-a-half years after he signed for the club while they were in League One.

12 months ago, the centre-back's season came to a premature end as he suffered a knee injury that would leave him out of action until December. While he has made two appearances for the Rams since, MK Dons are leading the race to sign the 32-year-old this month.

Paul Warne, the head coach who brought Nelson to Pride Park in the summer of 2023, is in charge of the Dons, and he is preparing to reunite with another former Derby player after Nathaniel Mendez-Laing made the switch to the Buckinghamshire outfit ahead of the campaign.

However, with the Rams struggling for defensive consistency, there is a question to be asked as to whether the former Cardiff City man could have played a role in the Championship in the second half of the campaign.

Derby County told they may regret decision to let Curtis Nelson go

Nelson played every single minute of the 2023/24 League One season as Derby finished second behind Portsmouth, securing their return to the Championship at the second time of asking.

While John Eustace has not been able to see the best of the defender, Football League World's Derby Fan Pundit, Shaun Woodward, believes that Nelson may have had a part to play in DE24 going forward. He told FLW: "The Curtis Nelson we signed was an absolute rock. He was brilliant on and off the pitch, conducting himself really well, a real leader. He supported Eiran Cashjn's development massively, and I think he could have done the same for Sondre Langas.

"Curtis Nelson, the year we got promoted, was unbelievable and then again, last season until his injury, he was one of our most consistent players. If we got that Curtis Nelson back, I believe he gets in our starting XI, especially when we're playing a back three.

"But obviously, I don't know the ins and outs of his injuries and whether he can get back to those levels again. If Eustace is selling him, then he probably thinks that's not the case. So, we have to accept what Eustace says and wish him all the best."

Shaun continued: "Personally, I'm honestly gutted to see him going because I believe he's still one of our best three centre-halves, and it'll be sad to see such a top bloke leave. But he needs to be playing football at his age and if he can step down the leagues and go and get a promotion under his belt again, then I wish him all the best.

"But I still believe there was a role for him to play at Derby. I think he could have supported Langas in his development like he did Cashin. It'll be gutting to see Nelson go because he was definitely a fan favourite."

Derby County have plenty of options at centre-back

Currently, the Rams have six out-and-out centre-backs at the club following Jake Rooney's return from a loan spell at Barnsley. However, Craig Forsyth and Ryan Nyambe can also fill in centrally when needed.

Therefore, with Nelson the second-oldest out of that group of six, it may not come as a surprise to see him leave Derby. He has 83 appearances to his name at the East Midlands outfit, and his excellent performance away at Birmingham City looks as though it will be his last.

With Dion Sanderson signing a permanent contract at Pride Park, the chances of Nelson becoming a regular in black-and-white look slimmer and slimmer.

The 32-year-old has been an excellent servant to the club, and now he has the chance of helping Warne and MK Dons secure promotion to League One, if a deal does go through.