Ryan Shotton Joins Derby County On A Permanent Basis

Defender joins from Stoke City for an undisclosed fee.

Defender joins from Stoke City for an undisclosed fee.

Derby County have completed the permanent signing of defender Ryan Shotton for an undisclosed fee.

The 26-year-old joined the Rams on loan from Barclays Premier League side Stoke City in August, but the move has now been made permanent on a two-and-a-half year deal until the end of the 2016/17 season.

Comfortable playing at right-back or as a central defender, Shotton has added experience and versatility to Head Coach Steve McClaren’s squad in recent months.

He has made 14 appearances for the Club since his arrival, scoring twice, in the 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest in September and in the 5-0 home win over Wolverhampton Wanderers in November.

Head Coach Steve McClaren commented: “We’re pleased to welcome Ryan Shotton to the Club on a permanent basis.

“He has shown in his brief time with us that he is an important member of the squad, contributing with good performances and showing his versatility.”

Shotton is a graduate of Stoke’s youth system and he signed professional terms with the Potters in 2007.

He gained first-team experience at Altrincham in the 2007/08 campaign before returning to the Britannia Stadium to make his first-team bow in August 2008, in the League Cup against Cheltenham Town.

The majority of the 2008/09 season was spent on loan at Tranmere Rovers in League 1 and then the following season, 2009/10, saw him turn out for Barnsley in the Championship.

After the three separate spells out on loan he became a regular face in Tony Pulis’ Stoke squad.

Following a handful of outings in 2010/11, Shotton made 37 appearances in 2011/12 in the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League and also scored his first Stoke goal in a 1-0 league win at West Bromwich Albion.

He made a further 26 appearances during the following season but, after finding himself out of favour under new boss Mark Hughes, he moved out on loan to Championship side Wigan Athletic last term and made 14 appearances in all competitions.