Derby County have confirmed on their official club website that striker Chris Martin will be leaving Pride Park.
Striker Chris Martin extended his stay at Derby County until the end of the season earlier this summer. Since then, talks have been ongoing over a new contract but now, it has been confirmed that Martin will be leaving the club.
Derby confirmed Martin’s departure in a club statement on Friday, revealing that a new agreement could not be agreed to extend his contract.
Upon the announcement, Stephen Pearce, the Rams’ chief executive, moved to bid farewell to the striker. Pearce thanked Martin for everything he has given in his time at the club, insisting that the door remains open for him to return if he can not find a new team. He said:
“Chris has a long-standing association with the football club since arriving from Norwich City initially on loan in February 2013 before signing permanently in the summer.
“He has made a telling contribution to Derby County and ranks 17th in the club’s record goalscorers list, scoring 76 goals in all competitions.
“We wish to thank Chris for his seven-year service to the football club and we will endeavour to remain in dialogue with him and his representatives and will always leave the door open for a potential return if he does not find a suitable club.”
Martin had been on the books with Derby for seven years. He spent time out on loan with Fulham, Reading and Hull City as well but was prolific goalscorer for the Rams.
In 226 games, Martin netted 76 goals across all competitions, providing 38 assists. Having fallen out of favour in recent years, he broke back into the first-team picture under Phillip Cocu, scoring 12 and laying on seven assists in 38 games across all competitions.
Now, Martin will go on the lookout for a new club as a free agent. Would you like your club to make a move for Martin this summer? Let us know what you think in the poll at the bottom of the page.
In other Derby County news, a new club has joined the Rams in the chase for a highly sought-after player – details about that story here.
