Derby re-sign centre-back Clarke from Middlesbrough

Matt Clarke scored two goals in 17 appearances for Middlesbrough this season

Derby County have re-signed centre-back Matt Clarke from Middlesbrough for an undisclosed fee.

The 28-year-old moves to Pride Park, where he has had two previous loan spells, on a permanent deal that runs until the end of the season.

He joins a Rams side that has lost mainstay centre-back Curtis Nelson to injury for the rest of the season, while Eiran Cashin's future at the heart of their defence is also in doubt with Premier League club Brighton strongly linked with the 23-year-old.

Clarke was a Brighton player when he was loaned to Derby across two seasons from 2019 to 2021, in which time he made 81 appearances.

He won Derby's Jack Stamps Player of the Season award in his first spell in 2019-20 when the club finished 10th in the Championship.

The following season he helped the Rams narrowly avoid relegation, and returns with them in a similar battle for survival.

"As soon as I heard there was a possibility to come back I was over the moon," Clarke told Derby's website.

"It's the third time and it shows how much I've enjoyed being here, and from the club's point of view I've done something right or they wouldn't keep bringing me back."

In between his last stint at Derby and moving to Middlesbrough in the summer of 2022, he also had a loan spell at West Bromwich Albion.

Clarke made 51 appearances for Boro in his two and a half seasons on Teesside, including 17 this season.

"I was in a situation where I was around the squad but maybe not playing as many minutes as I'd like, so I was looking to get out and get some game time somewhere and Derby popped up," Clarke said.