Wed 24 Jun - Posted in Breaking News
Time to read: 1min
Derby County midfielder Cruz Allen has committed his future to the club after penning a new two-year contract.
The highly-rated teenager, who has been with the Rams since the age of nine, has extended his stay at Pride Park Stadium until the end of the 2027/28 campaign.
Rising through the ranks, Allen has excelled for Derby’s Academy in recent seasons, contributing 25 goals and 24 assists across 80 combined appearances at Under-21 and Under-18 level.
Those figures included two goals and four assists in just 69 minutes, as he ran the show in a peerless performance during an 8-2 win over Bristol City U21s in a Premier League Cup clash last October.
Such displays earned the 19-year-old - who made his senior debut for the club at the age of 16 - a further chance with Derby’s First Team, featuring in the matchday squad for 15 of the Rams’ final 16 Sky Bet Championship matches in 2025/26.
Allen was handed his Championship debut away at Watford in February, while he also came off the bench against Coventry City and Stoke City across the Easter weekend.
Discussing his contract extension, Allen told RamsTV:“I'm really happy to extend my time with the club. I'm proud of what I've achieved so far, but now it's about looking ahead to see what I can do here in the future.
“I want to be a good role model for other guys coming through the Academy and prove that I'm good enough to get more minutes on the pitch with the First Team.”
Academy Manager, Jamie Smith, said:"Cruz has been with us since the age of nine, and this reflects the work of a lot of staff across the club who have supported his development.
"He has progressed through each stage of the Academy into the First Team environment, showing the qualities and potential we value. This contract recognises that journey, but also provides a challenge for him to keep pushing towards becoming a regular First Team player in the future."
Allen will now link up with the Wales Under-19 squad for the upcoming 2026 UEFA European Under-19 Championship, which gets underway in Wrexham on Sunday, before returning to the Rams for pre-season in July.
