Derby County have moved to complete the permanent transfer of Tom Ince from Hull City.

Derby County have moved to complete the permanent transfer of Tom Ince from Hull City.

Ince has signed a four-year contract with the Rams and an undisclosed fee has been paid for his signature, ending the club’s summer-long pursuit of his services.



The 23-year-old forward starred during an impressive loan spell at the iPro Stadium during the second half of last season.

He quickly became a fans’ favourite with his mazy attacking runs and spectacular goals during his temporary stay in Derbyshire – but now he’s back for good.

The 2013 Football League Young Player of the Year scored 11 times in 18 appearances, as well as laying on a number of assists for his team-mates.





His form was so impressive in a Derby shirt that he was named as the Sky Bet Championship’s ‘Player of the Month’ for April.

He is the sixth player to join Derby this summer following the arrivals of Darren Bent, Alex Pearce, Scott Carson, Chris Baird and Andreas Weimann last month.

Derby County Head Coach Paul Clement said: “I’m delighted that we have been able sign Tom Ince on a permanent basis.





“I’m aware of the positive impact he had on the side during his time on loan last season from speaking to people at the club, and also watching a number of the matches back myself.

“He is an exciting talent, there’s no doubt about it, and he’s another very positive addition to the squad.”









He added: “I feel that we’re in a good place with how the squad is looking right now and credit to Sam Rush and Chris Evans for the work they have concluded, bringing in six quality signings this summer.”





President & Chief Executive Sam Rush said: “I’m thrilled that we have succeeded in our mission to bring Tom Ince back to Derby County. We faced a good deal of competition and we should put on record our thanks to the Chairman and the Board for supporting this acquisition.





“While the fee remains undisclosed at the request of both clubs it is fair to say this is a significant outlay for Derby County.











“We’re all aware of the impact he had on the side during his short spell on loan last season and we’re delighted that he is now a fully-fledged Derby player.





“Paul Clement made it clear that he wanted Tom in his squad and I’m really pleased that we’ve been able to get the deal concluded.”





He added: “We’ve added six excellent players to an already very talented squad and I believe that his signing demonstrates our desire and determination to be a side competing at the top of the division in the coming season.”





Having made his professional debut for Liverpool in 2010, Ince moved to Blackpool in the summer of 2011 in an undisclosed deal.





In total he started 86 league games for Seasiders and scored 31 goals, establishing himself as one of the brightest and most exciting talents in the English game. During his time with Blackpool he was named as the 2013 Football League Young Player of the Year.

His impressive form at Bloomfield Road continued up to January 2014 when, following interest from a number of clubs, he moved to Premier League Crystal Palace on loan for the rest of the campaign.

He made eight appearances and scored once, against West Bromwich Albion, as Palace retained their Premier League status.

Upon the expiry of his contract at Blackpool last summer, Ince was linked with a host of clubs before eventually signing for Hull City.

He made nine appearances in total for the Tigers, scoring once, and had a brief spell at Nottingham Forest, where he made six appearances before being recalled by the KC Stadium outfit.



In total he has made 135 professional starts in his career – as well as 32 substitute appearances -and scored 48 goals.

Ince has also been capped by England at Under 17, Under 19 and Under 21 level, securing 26 caps in total across all levels.

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