Oxford United defender Curtis Nelson will leave the club when his contract ends, according to multiple sources including the Oxford Mail’s David Pritchard.
The 26-year-old, who joined the U’s in 2016 from Plymouth Argyle, has rejected the offer of a new contract.
Curtis Nelson Likely Leave Oxford United
Former Club Captain Looks For New Challenge
Nelson was never really likely to sign a new deal when offered by Karl Robinson.
Despite rejecting the new deal, Nelson hasn’t yet been confirmed to join another club. He admitted he wanted to play in the Championship, but so far, League One sides Sunderland, Portsmouth and Ipswich Town are among the front runners.
Karl Robinson on Defender
Robinson told the Oxford Mail: “I’ll be honest, I don’t foresee Curtis being with us next season, I think that’s quite obvious.
“I spoke to him about four weeks ago and I presume he’s got something lined up, but we don’t know where.”
Robinson later added: “I want to thank Curtis for everything he’s done. He gave us everything, at the back end of the season he was arguably one of our better players.
“I know when I first came in there were question marks over certain things. But every question mark I had over Curtis Nelson he certainly answered.
“There are no arguments, we will always be there for him. Maybe we’ll cross paths again and he goes with our best wishes.”
Nelson at Oxford
Curtis Nelson joined Oxford United from Plymouth in 2016, but because the then 23-year-old was under 24, the transfer went to a tribunal.
It was believed that the U’s paid an initial £200,000 for the defender, but an extra £80,000 was activated due to appearances.
He was a key member of Michael Appleton’s side. He was later made captain in 2017 under manager Pep Clotet following the departure of John Lundstrum.
Nelson’s second campaign was derailed by a ruptured Achilles tendon. The defender missed five months, by which time Robinson was in charge.
The pair had a tense start, with the new head coach removing the captaincy due to a lack of progress on contract talks.
Despite the loss of the armband, the defender’s performances impressed Robinson, who admitted they will part on good terms.
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