Thompson It Was A NoBrainer To Sign Again

A ‘no-brainer’ was how midfielder Liam Thompson described his decision to sign a contract extension with Derby County.

The youngster, who made his senior debut for the Rams during the 2021/22 campaign, has signed a new two year contract with the club and is looking to kick on again as Derby prepare for their upcoming Sky Bet League One campaign.

Thompson made 24 appearances after having to wait until November 2021 for his debut in a 3-2 home victory over AFC Bournemouth and he is relieved to be able to concentrate on his football once again.

He spoke to RamsTV after penning his new contract and gave his thoughts on a wide-range of topics.

On Signing His New Contract With Derby…

I’m delighted to finally get it done. It’s been a stressful couple of months, especially this last week, so I’m delighted to get it over the line, relax a bit and concentrate on the football side.

I had no hesitation in getting this sorted. I love the club, love the fans and the staff within the club are brilliant. I’ve been here for around three or four years now so it was a no-brainer to come and sign again.

On The Takeover By Clowes Development (Ltd)…

It was a massive relief for me and I’m sure for everyone else. It’s the first bit of positive news in a while so it’s brilliant for everyone involved.

On Last Season’s Breakthrough Year…

I was really proud to make my debut and have a good run of games. I played 24 times so it was good to get those under my belt and I’m proud of that but I’ve got to kick on again and prove I can do it again.

One of the big things to take away from last year was playing against different styles. The first game I played in was against Bournemouth and they are a good footballing side. The next one was Fulham and they are another top side, but I found facing some of the other sides quite difficult to adapt your game to better yourself. That was a challenge and something I definitely learned from last season.

On Going Again This Season…

I can’t wait to kick on now. I can relax a little bit, not too much, and I can focus on the football side. I can prove myself to the staff who were here last year and prove I am ready to play.

That togetherness, we had bundles of that last year. It was a group thrown together and the togetherness was brilliant, especially with the fans. That got us over the line in some games but ultimately it didn’t work out for us, but without that togetherness we wouldn’t have done as well as thought we would so it’s important we have it again this season because it will get us over the line.