"Absolute beast" - Derby County: 31-year-old praised for under the radar impact | OneFootball

Curtis Nelson has been a rock at the back since joining the Rams last summer, and has been an ever-present since.

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 enjoyed a good start to life back in the Championship, and while their away form has not been anything to shout about, at home they have been near-perfect.

The Rams have won four of their first five league matches at Pride Park, being beaten only by Norwich City in controversial circumstances in September on their own patch.

That defeat was the second of three that Paul Warne's side suffered consecutively, losing three times in a row for the first time since April 2023.

Derby's defensive line has been excellent in the last couple of seasons, and has been a major reason behind the Rams' lack of defeats since Warne took over in September 2022, with one key signing from the start of the 2023/24 campaign the key to their recent success in both League One and now the Championship.

Curtis Nelson surprised Derby fans with his performances

The Rams had the best defensive record in the third tier last season, conceding just 37 goals in 46 matches, while also keeping 22 clean sheets.

It's a part of their game that looks to have carried on into 2024/25, with Warne's side conceding just three goals at home so far, keeping four clean sheets.

A huge reason behind that has been the performances of Curtis Nelson, who has been ever-present since joining the club on a free in June 2023.

Football League World asked their Derby Fan Pundit, Shaun Woodward, which of the club's signings he believes surprised him the most after such little hype on arrival, with the Rams supporter naming Nelson.

He told FLW: "When we signed him, it didn't really excite anyone, and it went under the radar because we signed Sonny Bradley at a similar time.

"With Sonny Bradley being the character and the man he is, I think everyone was really excited, thinking he's a leader. He came from the Premier League, and everyone thought that him and Cashin were going to be unbelievable together."

"But he’s just a solid eight out of 10 every single week, an absolute beast of a player. He’s just calm, composed, knows what he's good at, doesn't try and do anything he can't do.

"He's been an unbelievable player for the club and what a player for Cashin to learn from. So, he's the obvious one to me."

Nelson continues to impress for Derby

Over a year into his Derby career, Nelson has not missed a minute of league action, and has even found himself scoring goals.

His header against QPR before the international break to give the Rams the lead at Pride Park was sensational, hitting the back of the net after a commanding leap above the R's defenders in a tremendous all-round performance from the 31-year-old.

It was the second time this season that he had headed in, following his goal against Blackburn Rovers on the opening night of the season away at Ewood Park in a 4-2 defeat.

While his attacking prowess will delight Warne, defensively, Nelson is as good as ever and is consistently proving why he was named as Derby'sPlayer of the Season for the 2023/24 campaign.

He has been dominant aerially, winning over 20 duels, while he has also completed over 70% of his tackles so far, according to FotMob. He continues to be the perfect partner to Eiran Cashin, with the two formidable at the back.

The Rams are lucky to have a player that possesses the quality that Nelson does, and he will only continue to be the man mountain that he has been black-and-white.