Wed 17 Dec - Posted in Breaking News
Time to read: 2mins
Derby County Academy defender Rio Canoville has put pen-to-paper on his first professional deal with the club.
The 17-year-old becomes Derby’s latest Academy graduate, signing a contract until the summer of 2028.
First joining the Academy as an Under-15 - having previously been on the books at Notts County and Nottingham Forest - Canoville has featured regularly for the club at youth level, including 13 times for the Under-21s in Premier League 2 and four times in the Premier League Cup.
Primarily a central defender - who can also operate at full back or in defensive midfield - he played a key role in helping Derby’s Under-18s to fourth place in the 2024/25 U18 Premier League North table, adding three goals from 15 league appearances.
Such form earned Canoville his Premier League 2 debut during a 1-0 win over Reading in January of this year, while he has gone on to feature in eight of nine league games for Danny Maye’s side this term alongside getting match experience in the Premier League Cup.
After training with John Eustace’s first-team squad in the lead-up to the current campaign, Canoville has also gained match minutes with the B Team this season, as well as making a handful of appearances for Bradley Johnson’s Under-18s.
Discussing his first professional contract, Canoville told RamsTV: “Coming here at Under-15s level, I wanted to kick on straight away. My time with the club has just got better and better, and I can’t wait for the seasons ahead.
“I owe a lot to people like Bradley Johnson and Danny Maye. They have been amazing on my journey and helped my development massively.
“I went away with the first team in pre-season, which gave me a confidence boost and showed me the demands of that level.”
Jamie Smith, Derby County Assistant Academy Manager, said: “We are delighted for Rio and his family in being able to secure his future at Derby County by signing his first professional contract.
“Rio has displayed a real commitment by taking ownership of his own development. He is a hard-working, resilient and ambitious young man, who shows the required characteristics to give him a great platform to build upon as a young professional.
“We are excited to support Rio’s development with the strong daily collaboration we have in place between the Academy and first team.”
