Derby County Sign Coventry City's Cyrus Christie

Derby beat off strong competition to sign highly-rated full-back.

Derby County have moved to bolster their defensive options with the signing of highly-rated youngster Cyrus Christie from Coventry City.

The 21-year-old right-back, who was out of contract with the Sky Blues, has agreed a three-year deal with Derby despite strong competition from elsewhere for his signature.

The two clubs have agreed an undisclosed fee for his services rather than a figure set by tribunal, which would have applied as Christie is under the age of 23 and he came through Coventry’s Academy system.

Christie made 116 appearances for Coventry, including 37 in the Championship, after making his debut at the age of 17 in August 2010.

His impressive displays have caught the eyes of a number of Championship and Premier League managers, including Rams Head Coach Steve McClaren.

After Andre Wisdom returned to Liverpool at the end of last season following the conclusion of his season-long loan deal at the iPro Stadium, McClaren identified Christie as a player to add strength to the right-back position ahead of the 2014/15 season.

“Right-back has been a focus for us this summer and we are delighted to have secured the services of Cyrus, who is a very highly-rated prospect,” said McClaren.

"We have been monitoring Cyrus for some time and while there has been a great deal of competition for his signature, we are delighted that he has chosen Derby County for this key stage of his career.

"Cyrus fits the profile of young, talented players that we have identified and I am really looking forward to working with him.

"Our Head of Football Operations Chris Evans and his recruitment team deserve a lot of credit for closing this deal amidst much pressure. We have signed some very good players this summer and Cyrus is another excellent capture."

Christie joined Coventry at the age of eight and progressed right the way through their youth set-up.

His debut came as a substitute in the Capital One Cup against Morecambe in August 2010, before going on to make 39 appearances in their 2010/11 campaign alongside current Rams defender Richard Keogh.

Christie made the same number of appearances in the 2012/13 season and scored three goals, before going on to make 40 in the 2013/14 campaign.