Curtis Nelson

Curtis Nelson

Personal information
Full name	Curtis Alexander Nelson
Date of birth	(1993-05-21) 21 May 1993
Place of birth	Newcastle-under-Lyme, England
Height
Position(s)	Centre back
Team information
Current team	Derby County
Number	35
Youth career
2002–2008	Stoke City
2008–2009	Plymouth Argyle
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2009–2016	Plymouth Argyle	211	(8)
2016–2019	Oxford United	99	(7)
2019–2023	Cardiff City	116	(2)
2023	Blackpool	18	(1)
2023–	Derby County	46	(2)
International career
2011	England U18	1	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 13:42, 28 April 2024 (UTC)

Curtis Alexander Nelson (born 21 May 1993) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre back for EFL Championship club Derby County. He has also played in the English Football League for Plymouth Argyle, Oxford United, Cardiff City and Blackpool. Nelson made his debut in the Football League in 2010. He was capped by England at under-18 level.

Early and personal life

Nelson was born in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire. He is a cousin of sprinters Ashleigh and Alexander Nelson

Career

Plymouth Argyle

Nelson spent seven years with Stoke City as a schoolboy before being released in February 2009. He joined Plymouth Argyle two months later. His performances in the 2009–10 season for the youth team and reserves, in both defence and midfield, earned him a place in the first-team squad for the club's final match of the campaign against Peterborough United. Nelson trained with the first team during throughout their 2010–11 pre-season and impressed manager Peter Reid. "I was very impressed with young Curtis," said Reid. "I like young players and he will be training with us all the time now. He played centre-back last year but he can play midfield as well." He made his first-team debut on 10 August 2010 in the League Cup against Notts County, replacing Anton Peterlin as a second-half substitute.

He signed his first professional contract in October 2010, one that would last until the end of the 2011–12 season. His performances for Argyle led to a call-up to the England under-18 team to play Italy in April 2011. He replaced George Moncur in the second half as England drew 1–1. Nelson appeared in 35 league matches during his debut season and three more in cup competitions. A knee injury in December meant a lengthy spell on the sidelines and new manager Carl Fletcher stressed that it was important Nelson took as long as he needed to make a full recovery.

Nelson signed a new undisclosed contract in April 2012, along with teammates Luke Young and Jared Sims. Nelson finished the season with 21 appearances in all competitions. He scored his first senior goal in a win against Northampton Town in September. In April 2013, he became the youngest Plymouth Argyle captain since Norman Piper in August 1967 when he led the team in a win against Cheltenham Town. Nelson made 32 appearances in the 2012–13 campaign and scored three goals. On 7 May 2014, Nelson committed to the Pilgrims by signing a new two-year contract with the club.

Oxford United

On 4 July 2016, Nelson signed for newly promoted League One club Oxford United on a two-year contract, later extended by a year. An independent transfer tribunal was required as Nelson was an academy graduate aged under 24 and the two clubs were unable to agree a fee. The tribunal ruled a fee of £200,000 was payable with an additional £80,000 depending on appearances. Before the start of his second season at the club, following the departure of John Lundstram, he was appointed team captain. He suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon during a home defeat to Northampton Town in November 2017 and was ruled out for the remainder of the season, teammate John Mousinho replacing him as captain. Nelson returned, earlier than expected, to the first team as a substitute on 14 April 2018 was immediately handed the captain's armband, though Mousinho later took the armband permanently. Nelson declined a contract renewal and left Oxford after the 2018–19 season, having appeared 121 times in all competitions, scoring 8 times, in his three seasons with the club.

Cardiff City

Nelson signed for newly relegated Championship club Cardiff City on 27 June 2019 on a free transfer on a two-year contract. He made his debut as a substitute in place of Marlon Pack during a 3–0 defeat to Reading. He scored his first goal for Cardiff on 2 November 2019 in a 4–2 win against Birmingham City.

Nelson signed a two-year extension on his contract on 7 September 2020, keeping him in the Welsh capital till 2023.

Blackpool

On 28 January 2023, Nelson signed for Championship side Blackpool on a deal until the end of the season after leaving Cardiff by mutual consent. He scored his first goal for the club on 14 March 2023 in a 6–1 win against Queens Park Rangers.

Derby County

On 23 June 2023, free agent Nelson signed a two-year deal with Derby County, becoming manager Paul Warne's fourth summer signing. He made his Derby debut on 5 August against Wigan Athletic. He scored his first goal for the club in a 1–1 draw at Cheltenham Town on 7 October. Nelson and his central defensive partner Eiran Cashin were one of the strongest and most reliable defensive partnerships in League One during the 2023–24 season, as their relationship and trust in each other showed on the field. Nelson played in every single minute of Derby's 46 League One matches, the only outfield player in the league to do so. He featured in a defence which kept 22 clean sheets and conceded the fewest goals in the League at just 37. These performances helped Derby finish runners-up in the division and earn automatic promotion to the Championship. Nelson also won the club's Jack Stamps Trophy as Derby's Player of the Year, with the defender making 51 appearances in total for the club during the season with two goals.

Career statistics

As of match played 27 April 2024

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Plymouth Argyle	2009–10	Championship	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	2010–11	League One	35	0	1	0	1	0	1	0	38	0
	2011–12	League Two	17	0	2	0	1	0	1	0	21	0
	2012–13	League Two	27	3	1	0	2	0	2	0	32	3
	2013–14	League Two	44	1	5	1	1	0	2	0	52	2
	2014–15	League Two	42	1	2	0	1	0	4	0	49	1
	2015–16	League Two	46	3	1	0	1	0	6	0	54	3
	Total		211	8	12	1	7	0	16	0	246	9
Oxford United	2016–17	League One	33	2	4	1	1	0	5	0	43	3
	2017–18	League One	20	1	0	0	1	0	2	0	23	1
	2018–19	League One	46	4	4	0	1	0	4	0	55	4
	Total		99	7	8	1	3	0	11	0	121	8
Cardiff City	2019–20	Championship	33	1	0	0	1	0	2	1	36	2
	2020–21	Championship	44	1	1	0	1	0	–		46	1
	2021–22	Championship	30	0	1	0	2	0	–		33	0
	2022–23	Championship	9	0	2	0	1	0	0	0	12	0
	Total		116	2	4	0	5	0	2	1	127	3
Blackpool	2022–23	Championship	18	1	—		—		—		18	1
Derby County	2023–24	League One	46	2	2	0	1	0	2	0	51	2
Career total			490	20	26	2	16	0	31	1	563	23

Honours

Oxford United

• EFL Trophy runner-up: 2016–17

Derby County

• EFL League One second-place promotion: 2023–24

Individual

• PFA Team of the Year: 2015–16 League Two
• Derby County Player of the Year: 2023–24

External links

• Profile at the Cardiff City F.C. website