"Top-class" - Claim made as big Derby County, Matt Clarke news confirmed | OneFootball

FLW's Derby County fan pundit has been speaking on the news that Matt Clarke has penned a new long-term contract with 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…

Derby County have handed defender Matt Clarke a new long-term contract extension after his winter arrival from Middlesbrough.

The Rams centre-back has been rewarded with a fresh three-year contract at Pride Park, having initially only penned a short-term deal with the club until the end of the 2024/25 season upon signing for Derby in late January from Boro.

A left-footed centre-half, Clarke played a prominent role in helping John Eustace's side survive in the second tier this season, making 16 league appearances and bagging one goal during the second half of the campaign.

"Colossal" - Derby County handed verdict on three-year Matt Clarke contract

We asked our Derby County fan pundit, Shaun Woodward: 'Matt Clarke signs a three-year deal at Derby. Is that the best move for all parties, or given injury issues over the years, is that length of a deal perhaps a little too long?'

Woodward said: "I don't think there's any point in worrying about injuries.

"He showed in that dozen or so games he played for Derby that he was up for the fight. He was colossal at the back with Nat Phillips.

"To me, he's a top six Championship centre-half, and the fact he wanted to sign for Derby shows real intent and real ambition from the club. I think we've signed a really, really top-class centre-half, that could've potentially gone to one of the relegated clubs from the Premier League - he's that good.

"He's comfortable on the ball, he's big and strong in both boxes, can read the game well, and he clearly loves the club and the fans love him. So I mean, it's an excellent bit of business all-round.

"If he can keep fit, then we've got ourselves a really good centre-half that we can build a team around. The spine of the team is so crucial, and I think by starting with him, it really does give us a great platform for an exciting summer ahead."

Matt Clarke has proven himself to be a quality Championship defender when fit and firing

Clarke has been highly unlucky with injuries in recent times, but when he's fit and on the pitch, he's proven himself to be a quality performer at Championship level.

After signing for Middlesbrough in the summer of 2022 from Brighton, Clarke would only play a handful of games for his new club before suffering a back injury that would sideline him for the next 14 months.

Upon his return to fitness, the centre-back finished the 2023/24 campaign as one of Middlesbrough's standout performers in the second tier. However, he struggled to cement a starting role in Michael Carrick's squad during the first half of this past season, before being sold to Derby.

Prior to his Boro move, Clarke enjoyed an impressive 2021/22 campaign in the Championship with West Brom, and prior to that, he'd spend two good years on loan at Derby in the second tier between 2019-2021, where he even won the player of the season award in the 19/20 season.

It was his fruitful three years with Portsmouth between 2016-2019 that saw Brighton snap him up, and despite failing to make a senior appearance for the Seagulls, he's proven to be worth his weight in gold for numerous EFL sides.

Therefore, handing Clarke a long-term deal was surely a no-brainer for Derby. He's proven at this level, knows the club extremely well, and shores up Eustace's depth in the heart of defence after serious injuries to both Callum Elder and Curtis Nelson, as well as Nat Phillips returning to parent club Liverpool.