Town are being linked with a renewed move for Crystal Palace skipper Shaun Derry. TWTD first broke the news of the Blues’ interest in the out-of-contract 32-year-old a month ago, but it had appeared that the ex-Sheffield United and Leeds man had instead opted for a reunion with former boss Neil Warnock at QPR.
However, reports in London now claim that Town are set to grab Derry’s signature with the Blues said to have alerted Rangers of their intentions in order to prevent agents from playing one club off against the other with regard to wages.
One factor which reportedly could scupper Derry’s move to Loftus Road is Warnock’s unwillingness to guarantee the holding midfielder a place in his side, although whether Town would offer such assurances seems unlikely.
Derry, 6ft tall, started his career with hometown club Notts County before moving on to Sheffield United for £700,000 in January 1998. Two years later, a £300,000 deal took him to Portsmouth, then in 2002 he joined Palace for a first spell for £400,000.
Having been on loan at Nottingham Forest during the Eagles’ 2004/05 Premier League campaign, Derry eventually signed for Leeds for £250,000 late in that season.
In November 2008, he moved back to Palace on loan, making the switch a permanent one the following January for an undisclosed fee.
Derry came close to joining the Blues on loan in November 2004 during Joe Royle’s time as Town manager, but Palace preferred to do a permanent deal with Leeds.