Derby County have completed the signing of full-back Nathan Byrne from League One side Wigan Athletic. The 28-year-old joins the Rams for an undisclosed fee after three seasons with the Latics.
Derby Confirm Signing of Wigan Defender Nathan Byrne
Byrne Signs Two-Year-Deal With Derby
Byrne joins Derby County on a two-year-deal and adds much needed depth to the Rams’ back line.
The East Midlands side recently sold youngsters Jayden Bogle and Max Lowe to Sheffield United for a combined fee of around £11 million.
Hit by administration at the end of last season, it will be hard for Wigan fans to see Byrne leave yet the club have had no choice but to sell a number of key players. He becomes the second player to move from the DW Stadium to Pride Park this summer, following goalkeeper David Marshall.
The Tottenham academy graduate has spent time at both Wolves and Swindon Town prior to joining Wigan. He helped the Latics to win the 2017/18 League One title; picking up both the club’s player of the season and players’ player awards as a result.
Derby Bolster Right-Back Options After Bogle Departure
It is likely that Byrne will compete with versatile defender Andre Wisdom for a place in the starting line-up. Phillip Cocu has experimented with five at the back during pre-season and Byrne, who can play wing-back too, may be well suited for this.
Byrne is an almost identical replacement for the recently-departed Jayden Bogle; he is confident going forward, as seen by his 7 assists last season.
What’s more, with plenty of matches under his belt at this level, Byrne may offer a more experienced head than his predecessor as the Rams eye a succesful campaign.
Derby boss Phillip Cocu, on the signing of Byrne, told the club website: “Nathan, we believe has qualities that will suit our style of play. He is a right-back that has both the ability to defend well and make an impact when going forward to support the attack.
“He has good experience for his age, playing over 300 games so far, and this is a signing that will compliment the balance we are looking to achieve within our squad.”
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