Kelvin Mellor rejects Derby County for new Crewe Alexandra deal

Crewe Alexandra defender Kelvin Mellor has rejected a move to Championship side Derby County after signing a new two-year deal at Gresty Road.

The Rams had hoped to sign the 21-year-old by offering him a three-year deal.

However, Crewe responded by making an improved contract offer for the third time, which the former Nantwich Town player has now accepted.

Mellor is currently recovering from an ankle operation but will be available for training within the next month.

Following news of Mellor's deal, Derby manager Nigel Clough was clearly annoyed by the defender's decision to stay at Crewe.

"We had a good meeting with Kelvin, his dad and couple of representatives," Clough told BBC Radio Derby. "I think they spent quite a bit of the meeting telling us how utterly dismayed and dejected they were about his treatment at Crewe.

"Crewe put a year on the table which they felt was disrespectable in terms of the terms.

"When he turns round then and says he's going to stay at Crewe we're very surprised. He even got to the stage where he said he felt the manager was picking his son over Kelvin.

"It must be difficult for him going back to the dressing room after all the things he said to us. And then when everyone was starting back for pre-season he decided to go to Ibiza with his mates for five days."

He follows Byron Moore in extending his Crewe deal as they look to build ahead of their return to League One.

Alex assistant manager Neil Baker told BBC Radio Stoke it had been 'a difficult time' for Mellor and his parents.

"You take away the glamour and the glitz of the move and was he going to play in Derby's first team, who knows? But he will play in ours, and get another 30 games under his belt, and if Derby or any other team at the end of the season want to come and offer us three-quarters of a million pounds, we'll probably sit up and look at it," said Baker.

"Being a local boy I don't think he wanted to go initially, maybe his agent's thought the offer from us wasn't a great one and touted him round a bit, that's a part of this game you don't like - they're not giving the boy good advice, telling him to move to Derby on a three year deal.

"Anyway we've got him now, he really has made the right move - and he'll get his move in time, I'm sure."