Derby County’s latest recruit Tom Ince says he is delighted to be back at the iPro Stadium after signing a four-year deal with the Sky Bet Championship club.
Ince was on loan at Derby towards the backend of last campaign, and he thrived with the Midlands outfit, scoring 11 goals in 18 games.He also won the Championship’s Player of the Month award in May, but his strong form was still not enough to drive the Rams to promotion.
Derby agonisingly missed out on a Play-Off spot last season, but Ince is determined to help them over the line this time around.
“It’s good to be back. It’s a nice feeling, especially after the way I left off last season – despite the unfortunate events last year,” he said on Derby’s official site.
“I came in for such a short period, but this place felt like home really quickly. It was a move that I was desperate to get done and to get it over the line is a great feeling.
“This is a special team, it’s a special club and the feeling that I got from the lads, the staff and the supporters made me feel welcome and that I was part of something special.
“I’m just wanting to kick on and help this club achieve what we aimed to achieve last year.”
Although Ince has moved to familiar surroundings, the departure of Steve McClaren means that there has been some change at the club.
Paul Clement is now in charge of the Rams and Ince admits that the environment already feels different to how it did last season.
“I look around the place and even though it has been a couple of months, there has been so much change around the place,” the 23-year-old added.
“There is a real sense of urgency around the club to move it forward and try and get it to where we want it.
“The whole thing just clicks. I have had a lot of experience at this level and I now want to play in the Premier League like this club, so there is a nice fit and a nice gel here.
“The chance to work with Paul Clement was also a huge pull. His record speaks for itself.
“He’s worked with the best players in the world and I’m interested to see what ideas that he has and what formations and tactics that he wants to play.”