Striker James Collins has put pen-to-paper on a new deal that will see him remain with Derby County for the upcoming 2024/25 season.

Collins was the Rams' top goalscorer last season with 19 goals as they earned automatic promotion back to the Championship.

Speaking to RamsTV after signing his new deal, the frontman explained his delight at being able to stay with the club that is now ‘really close’ to his heart.

On his new deal…

I’m really happy. With the way last season went, and then the conversations I had with Paul Warne, I always wanted to stay. This club is really close to my heart now. The lads are great here, the training ground and the stadium are fantastic, and I have a good rapport with the fans. I’m really excited to see what next year is going to bring.

On whether it was a straightforward decision…

There are obviously always bits and bobs you have to go through with contracts and you have a certain time to decide, but I think from day one I made my view clear that I wanted to stay. The gaffer was happy with that because he wanted me to stay, so it was quite easy to get done.

His reflections of the final game of the season against Carlisle…

It seems a long time ago now, it’s been a long summer! The whole day, the build up with the families coming out beforehand and then the pitch invasion and celebrations after, it was just a fantastic day all around. The boys worked really hard to achieve that from the first day of pre-season so it was a day we can all be proud of. It will be a day that lives long in the memory.

On how different things will be in the Championship in 2024/25…

It will be a lot different. We’ll be coming up against sides with big budgets and great players. I think we’ll find that we’ll be going to a lot of big stadiums a lot more and we’ll have to deal with that atmosphere and being under pressure at times. We’ve got some great players in the building and I’m sure there will be more added to it. We’ve got a clean slate, we can go and attack it and I think we’ll be fine.

On pre-season…

I take pride in keeping on top of things and looking after myself. Nothing has changed this summer; I feel fit and ready to go. There’s only so much time you can have off. In the last couple of weeks of any summer, you’re itching to get back amongst it. To actually get back in the dressing room and go through the grind together, that’s what builds teams.