Derby County today confirmed that defender Callum Elder will join the club from Sky Bet Championship outfit Hull City from 1st July 2023.
The 28-year-old left-back will join the Rams on a three-year-deal once his contract with the Tigers comes to an end.
Here’s a little more about our latest Ram and the third new signing of the summer…
Career Beginnings...
Elder, who plays predominantly as a left-back, was born in Sydney, Australia on 27th January 1995.
His footballing career began on home soil for local side Manly United before moving to England at just 16-years-old to begin a scholarship with Leicester City.
By the end of the 2012/13 season, Elder had completed his scholarship and was awarded his first ever professional contract with the Foxes.
From there, he progressed to the Leicester City Under-21s squad and impressed enough to be awarded a new two-year deal following the conclusion of the 2014/15 campaign.
A 'Loanly' Road...
Whilst contracted to the Foxes, Elder would be sent on numerous loans between the years of 2015 and 2019 in a bid to gain experience in first-team football.
His first taste of this would come with Sky Bet League Two side Mansfield Town. He initially joined the Stags on a one-month deal but instantly became a regular starter and saw that loan extended until the end of the 2014/15 season.
After impressing during his first stint in senior football, Elder went up a division the following season, joining Peterborough United on loan. Like with Mansfield, the loan was initially for one month but was later extended until January 2016.
Unfortunately, the defender suffered a foot injury in the December which resulted in his loan being terminated and ultimately ending his season.
The following summer brought with it yet another loan spell and once again saw Elder climb the divisions, this time joining Championship outfit Brentford for the duration of the 2016/17 season.
He was an ever-present for the Bees before sustaining a knee injury midway through September. He returned to training in the January but was recalled by the Foxes so that they could send him out on loan to Brentford’s Championship rivals Barnsley for the remainder of the campaign.
The loans kept coming and the summer of 2017 saw him join Wigan Athletic for the season. He made 33 appearances for the Latics and was a big part of the side that ultimately lifted the Sky Bet League One trophy at the end of the 2017/18 season.
There was still time for one more loan during his time with the Foxes and that came in January 2019 when he joined Ipswich Town for the back end of the 2018/19 season. Elder made just five appearances for the Tractor Boys, though, before returning to Leicestershire.
A New Permanent Home...
In August 2019, Elder ended his eight-year association with Leicester when he signed for Championship side Hull City for an undisclosed fee.
The move saw him link up with manager Grant McCann, who he played under during his time at Peterborough, and finally gained some stability after years of loans.
He made his debut for the Tigers in September 2019 and it’s safe to say he hasn’t looked back since.
Despite suffering relegation to League One in his first season, Elder then played a key part in the squad that bounced back to the Championship at the first attempt in 2020/21 and landed his second division title in three years. He was also named in the League One Team of the Season following a successful campaign.
In total across the last four years, he made 137 appearances in all competitions for Hull, scoring once and providing 18 assists.
Elder made 29 appearances in the Championship in his final season with the Tigers before being released ahead of the end of his contract.
International Career
Elder had a quartet to choose from when it came to international football; Republic of Ireland, Scotland, England or Australia but ultimately, he chose his country of birth.
In 2013 he was called up by Australia Under-20s for the 2014 AFC Under-19 Championship Qualifying games and made his debut in a 3-0 victory over Chinese Taipei.
It wasn’t until 2021 when he finally had the honour of representing the senior squad but his performances for the Tigers had earned him the call-up in August 2021.
He made his debut for the Socceroos a month later in a 3-0 victory against China.
