Derby County have made their fifth summer signing after James Chester was confirmed as a Rams player this afternoon.

The Welsh international defender has signed for the club on a one-year contract after recently being released from Stoke City.

Speaking after his transfer was made public, the 33-year-old revealed his reasons for joining the club.

"I’ve known Liam Rosenior for a long time so I know the type of personality he is as well as hearing about the facilities the club has." Chester explained via Derby County club media.

"It’s a stadium I’ve played at before, so it was something I was really excited for and I’m glad it’s been finalised.

"The club being in League One wasn’t really something that crossed my mind. I still believe I can play higher but the pull of everything I mentioned and playing at such a nice stadium every other week far outweighed anything else."

The move to Derby offers Chester a fresh start after struggling for game time at Stoke City last season.

The central defender appeared just 22 times for the Potters last campaign, with 17 of those coming in the Championship.

Continuing further, the 33-year-old added that the opportunity to achieve something at Derby was another pulling factor in his decision to head to Pride Park.

 

 

"The opportunities in your careers to achieve something aren’t there very often so to have some responsibility to get this club back to the Championship where they deserve to be at the very minimum is another huge reason." the Welsh international continued.

"It’s an exciting time with the huge rebuild happening with the football club.

"The squad last year formed a real bond with the fanbase and I think it’s important for us as a new squad to maintain that and hopefully give them something to look forward to."

Derby County kick off their League One campaign with home tie against Oxford United later this month.

The Verdict

Yet another good signing for Derby County here.

I've said it time and time again over the last few days, but Liam Rosenior really is putting together a quality side for League One level.

Indeed, it is testament to the draw of Derby that players that, in all honesty, could have probably got themselves Championship moves, are dropping down a division to join the club.

With so much activity in recent days, it would be wise to expect even more incomings in the coming days and weeks.