ROWETT’S A RAM IN A MILLION
GARY ROWETT is targeting promotion after signing a new £1million-a-year contract to stay at Derby despite interest from Stoke.
The struggling Premier League Potters had Rowett on their radar after sacking Mark Hughes.
But ambitious Rams owner Mel Morris has pulled out the stops to keep Rowett on fresh terms until 2021.
Derby, who are second in the Championship, had already started initial discussions with Rowett before Stoke axed Hughes on Saturday night.
But those talks were stepped up this week and Rowett’s salary will rise from £750,000-a-year to seven figures.
It is a blow to Stoke chairman Peter Coates, who wanted to speak to Rowett and was willing to pay his £1.7m buy-out clause. But tech tycoon Morris was not about to risk losing his man after the way Rowett has turned Derby around since arriving last March.
Rowett said: “I am massively committed to trying to finally get this club back into the Premier League, whenever that may be.
“Our target is to stay in those top two places. I am really happy here. It is coming on nearly a year now and it has flown by.
“There was always going to be speculation about other jobs but my focus is on achieving things at this club.
“I am pleased to have got it finally all agreed and can crack on with the job at hand – working hard to improve all aspects of the football club.”
Rowett’s team has thrived despite selling arguably their two best players, Will Hughes and Tom Ince, to Watford and Huddersfield.