Plymouth Argyle must sanction return of Derby County hero - Tom Cleverley is desperate for it | OneFootball

Curtis Nelson could be on his way out of Derby County. He has links to Plymouth Argyle, and a move just makes sense.

It's been a tough couple of years for Plymouth Argyle, and while some may have thought relegation to League One would allow a hard reset at Home Park, positive results have been hard to come by.

The Pilgrims are currently 16th in the third tier, and although they are now unbeaten in their last three league games, the threat of the relegation zone remains strong with Burton Albion just three points behind Tom Cleverley's side after 25 games.

Plymouth are struggling defensively once again in 2025/26, and leadership is needed at the back, with the Devonshire outfit looking to avoid back-to-back relegations following their disappointing campaign in the second tier.

However, they may well be handed a lifeline by a former star who has spent the last few years at Derby County, and working a deal with the Rams is a must for Plymouth before the January transfer window comes to an end.

Plymouth Argyle must attempt to re-sign Curtis Nelson from Derby County

Curtis Nelson came through the ranks at Plymouth Argyle, making his debut for the club in 2010 following his departure from Stoke City's academy a few months prior.

He was a star for the Greens during their administration troubles, and captained the club through some of their darkest times and also suffered a lengthy knee injury early on in his career.

However, he did play 246 times for the Devon outfit, mainly as a League Two player, before eventually leaving for Oxford United in the summer of 2016 as he made the step up to League One.

Since 2023 though, Nelson has been closer to his Newcastle-under-Lyme roots with Derby County, and after an ACL injury in January 2024 saw him miss almost a year of action, Darren Witcoop has reported that his departure from Pride Park could be coming this month as John Eustace looks to bring in new stars.

With Plymouth's defensive issues this season, having conceded 39 goals, and the leadership qualities that Nelson possesses, bringing the centre-back back to Home Park after nearly 10 years away before the window comes to a close is a must, with relegation to League Two a real threat still.

Under Paul Warne, Nelson played every single minute of Derby's promotion campaign to the Championship in his first season at the club, and it is this experience that will do Cleverley's side a world of good, whilst also adding an aerial threat from set-pieces that could prove key.

Curtis Nelson was exceptional for Derby County in 2023/24 - Plymouth Argyle could use that

Although his minutes have been extremely limited over the course of the last 12 months, there is no denying the quality of the former Cardiff City defender when he is on the grass.

He was crucial to the Rams' promotion from League One just over 20 months ago, forming a superb partnership with new Blackburn Rovers signing Eiran Cashin.

Nelson won 297 ground duels over the course of 46 games in his last third tier campaign, while also winning 202 aerial battles. He also pitched in with two goals, as Derby's threat from set pieces increased dramatically.

The centre-back has much more to give, and sitting on the bench at Pride Park will not interest him, especially after his injury troubles, but with the likes of Matt Clarke, Sondre Langas and Dion Sanderson in-front of him, it was always going to be hard to find the relevant minutes in the Championship.

A return to Plymouth would be the perfect way to get Nelson back on the pitch, and he could be the hero that Argyle need in the second half of the season - whilst relegation danger is still there, the play-off spots aren't that far off, such is the nature of League One this season, and his experience could help shoot the Pilgrims up the table.