3/1 To Win
Derby County have moved to bolster their attacking options by completing the signing of Leicester City forward Tom Lawrence.
The 23-year-old Wales international has joined the Rams for an undisclosed fee from the 2016 Premier League champions.
The former Manchester United player, capped by his country on six occasions, has penned a long-term contract with the Rams.
Lawrence has been high on Derby manager Gary Rowett’s wanted list all summer following an impressive 2016/17 season on loan at fellow Sky Bet Championship side Ipswich Town.
He scored 11 times in 36 appearances for the Tractor Boys and claimed their Player of the Year award following a campaign of eye-catching performances and goals at Portman Road.
Lawrence is Derby’s fourth signing of the summer transfer window following the previous additions of Curtis Davies, Andre Wisdom and Tom Huddlestone.
He will not be available for tonight’s home game against Preston North End at Pride Park Stadium, but could make his debut in Saturday’s away fixture at Bolton Wanderers.
Lawrence began his playing career at Manchester United and came through their much-famed youth ranks.
He made his only first-team appearance for United towards the end of the 2013/14 season after being named in the starting line-up in a 3-1 home victory against Hull City at Old Trafford. During his time with the Red Devils he gained first-team experience on loan in the EFL at Carlisle United and Yeovil Town.
The first permanent move of his career saw him join Leicester City in the summer of 2014 following their promotion to the Premier League.
He quickly moved out on loan to Rotherham United to gain more match experience before returning to the King Power Stadium to make four appearances for the Foxes in the second half of the 2014/15 season.
Lawrence then spent 2015/16 on loan at Blackburn Rovers and Cardiff City in the Championship, racking up 37 appearances in total and scoring twice.
Those previous loan experiences stood him in good stead for a fine campaign at Ipswich last season.
As well as winning the Tractor Boys’ Player of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year awards for his performances, he also scored a number of stunning goals and lifted the club’s Goal of the Season accolade for his fine strike against Queens Park Rangers in January 2017.
He returned to Leicester during the summer and featured in a number of their pre-season matches before being given permission to link up with the Rams.
On the international stage, since making his debut in a European Championships Qualifier against Andorra in October 2015, he has gone on to collect six caps. His most recent international outing came against Serbia in a World Cup Qualifier in June.
Before being capped at full international level, Lawrence represented Wales at Under-17, Under-19 and Under-21 level.
