Lee Grant Signs New Contract With Derby County

Shot-stopper puts pen-to-paper on new deal.

Shot-stopper puts pen-to-paper on new deal.

Derby County goalkeeper Lee Grant has today put pen-to-paper on a new contract with the Club.

The 31-year-old shot-stopper’s new deal will run through until the end of the 2016/17 season at the iPro Stadium.

Grant is firmly established as Derby’s first choice goalkeeper and he has made 74 appearances since returning for a second spell at the Club from Burnley in May 2013.

Under the guidance of Goalkeeping Coach Eric Steele, he has been a model of consistency between the posts, showing impressive handling skills and typically quick shot-stopping reactions.

He is also the tenth player to sign a new contract with the Club since the end of the 2013/14 season, a campaign in which he played every minute of every game.

Not only is he a vital player on the pitch, but his role as a senior player within Derby’s dressing room is also influential off the field.

Head Coach Steve McClaren said: “We’re pleased that Lee Grant has signed a new contract with the Club.

“He is a very important part of the framework of our side, not just as a goalkeeper keeping the ball out of the net but in terms of starting moves from the back.

“He has been in outstanding form throughout our time at the Club and off the field he plays an important role as a senior player.”

Grant initially joined the Rams as a trainee in 2000 and made his senior debut in the 2002/03 campaign against Burnley, before picking up the Young Player of the Year Award at the end of the season after playing 30 games.

During his first spell with Derby, which lasted seven years, he made 79 appearances, and also enjoyed loan spells with Burnley and Oldham Athletic.

Grant’s time at the Rams came to an end in July 2007 when he agreed a three-year deal with Sheffield Wednesday, where he went on to play an integral part in maintaining the Owls’ Championship status during the 2007/08 campaign.

In July 2010, Grant completed a return to his former loan club Burnley; linking up with former Owls boss Brian Laws. Grant played his last and 126th game for Burnley on the final day of the 2012/13 season and helped Sean Dyche’s side to a 2-0 victory over Ipswich Town.