Centre back Richard Stearman has revealed his happiness at putting pen to paper on a new contract with Derby County.

Stearman joined Derby last summer on a one-year deal, following the expiration of his contract with Huddersfield Town.

The defender went on to make 15 appearances in all competitions for the Rams, but was unable to prevent them suffering relegation to League One, after a 21 point deduction for entering administration.

But with the club having now found a new buyer after being taken over by the Clowes family to secure it future, the questions over Stearman's own future have now been answered.

It has been confirmed that the 34-year-old has put pen to paper on a new one-year deal with Derby, keeping him at Pride Park until the end of next season, something the defender is clearly pleased about.

Taking to Twitter to react to confirmation of his new contract with Derby, Stearman wrote: "Feel incredibly proud and privileged to sign up for another season…excited to get the season underway and see all of you rams!"

The Verdict

This does feel like it could be a rather useful piece of business for Derby to have completed.

The Rams have certainly been active in the transfer window since their takeover was completed, bringing in a number of high profile and good quality signings.

However, retaining players such as Stearman ensures there is an element of continuity to the side, and ensures there will be a link between last season, and the many new players coming into the side.

Indeed, you also get the feeling that the centre back should still be able to do a job at League One level in the coming campaign, meaning this looks to be a contract agreement that should work in a number of ways.