Derby County: Paul Clement dubbed Norwich City signing a “major coup” – he made 140 apps for the Rams
When Derby County paid a then-club-record fee of £6m for Bradley Johnson from Norwich City, head coach Paul Clement described the signing as a “major coup” for the club, but while Johnson was never able to take the club to the top flight, they certainly got value for money out of him.
“Being able to bring Bradley to Derby represents a major coup for the football club. As I have said before, the midfield position is one we have been trying to strengthen, not just with numbers but with quality, and Bradley certainly brings that in abundance”, said Clement in the press release which accompanied the announcement on transfer deadline day 2015. “His experience will prove invaluable to us. He knows how to get out of this division, he has played a lot of Premier League football and is a leader.”
Johnson’s signature was a signal of intent for Derby’s ambitious new owner
Derby knew that they were getting a lot of footballer for their money when they signed Johnson from Norwich. At 29 years old, he’d already made over 100 League appearances for both Leeds United and the Canaries.
He’d been part of Leeds’ League One promotion-winning team in 2010 and had also been a regular in the Norwich team of 2015 which won promotion to the Premier League by beating Middlesbrough in the Championship play-off final.
In total, he made 101 Premier League appearances and 41 Championship appearances for the Canaries. He’d even played in the first four of Norwich’s Premier League matches of the 2015/16 season prior to them selling him to Derby, including an appearance in the 3-0 win against Southampton played just two days prior to his departure.
Derby were just about to embark upon a period in their history which would go on to have long-lasting repercussions for them. Web entrepreneur and businessman Mel Morris first acquired a 22% stake in Derby in May 2014, taking full control of the club for the start of the following season.
Morris had big plans for the club he’d supported as a youngster, and Johnson’s signing was the type that makes a statement, a highly experienced Premier League player with years already behind him. He was exactly the sort of player who could get the Rams back into the top flight for the first time since their disastrous 2007/08 season, when they’d won just one of their 38 League matches and were relegated with a record-low 11 points.
