Derby County have moved to bolster their midfield by completing the signing of Wales international Joe Ledley.





The 30-year-old has joined the Rams on a free transfer, after his contract expired at Crystal Palace at the end of last season, and has now signed a deal that will keep him at Pride Park Stadium until January following the completion of his medical.

Ledley will now be available to train at the Training Centre in partnership with the University of Derby tomorrow (Thursday) ahead of the club’s Sky Bet Championship game with Birmingham City on Saturday.

In a career stemming back over 13 years, the midfielder has a wealth of club and international experience which he brings to Gary Rowett’s squad.

Ledley started out at his hometown club, Cardiff City, where he spent six successful years in the Championship, before moving to Celtic in 2010.

With Cardiff, he amassed over 200 appearances and was an instrumental figure as the club reached the FA Cup Final in 2008 and Championship Play-Off Final two years later.

After moving to Scotland, the midfielder continued to be a regular in the middle of the park, helping Celtic claim three Scottish Premiership title as well as two Scottish Cups and also featured in two UEFA Champions League campaigns during a three-and-a-half year stint at Celtic Park.

In January 2014, Ledley sealed a switch to the Premier League after Crystal Palace moved to take him to Selhurst Park.

Again, the midfielder was a consistent figure for the Eagles as they achieved two mid-table finishes, whilst he also played an important role as the club reached the FA Cup Final in 2016 – only for injury to rule him out of Wembley meeting with Manchester United.

In total, Ledley has made 507 appearances in club football and scored 64 goals.

On top of that, he has been a regular in the Wales national set-up throughout the entirety of his career.

After earning caps at Under-17, 19 and 21 level, Ledley made his senior debut in 2005 and has since made over 70 appearances for his country and played in all of their games at the UEFA Euro 2016 Finals last summer as Wales reached the semi-finals.



