Derby County Sign Alex Mowatt from West Bromwich Albion

Derby County have finally landed Alex Mowatt, sealing a permanent deal with West Bromwich Albion after a long pursuit of the midfielder.

The 29-year-old has signed a two-year contract at Pride Park for an undisclosed fee, though DerbyshireLive understands the figure is closer to £600,000 than the £2m that had been circulating in the West Midlands. He completed his medical and the final paperwork earlier today.

This is not a new fascination. Head coach John Eustace has had Mowatt high on his wishlist since last summer and Derby have tracked his situation at the Hawthorns ever since he penned a two-year extension there. Patience, in the end, has paid off.

What Derby get is clear: a seasoned Championship operator who can run a game from deep. Mowatt’s experience at this level and his ability to build attacks from the base of midfield are understood to be central to why Derby pushed so hard to get him through the door.

Born in Doncaster, Mowatt has spent the last five years with West Brom and has already featured this season, starting in the 4-1 Carabao Cup win at Rotherham and playing 73 minutes before making way for Conor Townsend. He has represented England at under-19 and under-20 level.

His journey to Derby has taken in some significant stops. A product of the Leeds United academy, Mowatt broke through at Elland Road before moving to Barnsley, where he became captain and led them to the Championship play-offs in 2021, racking up more than 140 appearances for the Tykes. A loan spell at Oxford United followed, then a free-transfer move to West Brom under Valerien Ismaël.

Ismaël made no secret of how highly he rated him at the time, describing Mowatt as an “outstanding midfield player” with “outstanding qualities and mentality”, dangerous from distance and on set-pieces, and a relentless worker with energy to burn.

Mowatt also spent time on loan at Middlesbrough, helping them to a fourth-place finish in the Championship and underlining his credentials as a promotion-chasing midfielder.

Now, Derby have put him at the heart of their own push.