3/1 To Win
Derby County have bolstered their defensive options by signing Scott Malone from Premier League side Huddersfield Town for an undisclosed fee.
The 27-year-old becomes the Rams’ eighth summer signing - following Mason Mount, Harry Wilson, Florian Jozefzoon, George Evans, Jack Marriott, Fikayo Tomori and Martyn Waghorn in moving to Pride Park Stadium – and has signed a three-year deal until the summer of 2021.
Malone arrives to add depth to Frank Lampard’s options in defence and will compete for a starting XI spot on the left flank.
Speaking about his latest signing, Lampard told dcfc.co.uk: “Scott Malone is a player that I have liked for a long time and we’re really pleased to bring him to Derby County.
“He’s an attacking left-back with lots of speed and with the way we want to play, the full-backs are very important for us.
“I have spoken before about it being important to have options across all areas and Scott provides another one for us, but I think it’s also important to mention that Max Lowe has been fantastic in the games so far.”
Malone completes his switch to Pride Park Stadium off the back of his first taste of top-flight football with Huddersfield last season. In total, the full-back made 28 appearances in all competitions for the Terriers as they retained their Premier League status.
Starting out at Wolverhampton Wanderers, the defender rose through the Academy ranks at Molineux but never made an appearance for Wolves before departing.
He enjoyed several loan spells between 2009 and 2012 – with Hungarian outfit Ujpest, Southend United, Burton Albion and AFC Bournemouth.
Malone secured a permanent move to the latter in August 2011 and quickly made a name for himself in League 1 to earn a move to Championship side Millwall in the summer of 2012.
He remained at The Den for three years, leaving following their relegation to League 1 in 2015, but the left-back had already done enough to earn a move to Cardiff City.
His stay in the Welsh Capital was brief too. A move to London with Fulham was next on the agenda and he was a pivotal figure for the Cottagers as they reached the Play-Off Semi-Finals at the end of the 2016/17, with his form resulting in him being rewarded with his first taste of Premier League football.
Malone has made more than 250 League appearances during his career and has scored 19 goals.
