Chester: Dropping to League One never a problem
JAMES Chester says he had no problem with dropping into League One with Derby County because every other aspect of the move “outweighed” anything else.
The centre-back arrived on a free transfer and has signed a oneyear deal with the club after leaving Stoke City following a two-year stint with the Potters.
Chester arrives as part of a major rebuild at Pride Park after the club was rescued from financial uncertainty by Clowes Developments, who completed a takeover last Friday.
The defender is part of what is an impressive recruitment drive by the club, Chester joining on the same day as the club confirmed the signing of former Aston Villa team-mate Conor Hourihane.
Both transfers were regarded as significant coups by the club given the players’ experience in the Premier League.
And while Chester said he feels he could still play further up the pyramid, he says the lure of Derby proved too good too resist, especially as he knows interim boss Liam Rosenior from their time with Hull City.
“It probably took a week or so to get to this point but it was something that I was really interested in,” Chester told Rams TV when asked how the move came about.
“I’ve known Liam Rosenior for a long time so I know the type of personality he is as well as hearing about the facilities the club has.
“It’s a stadium I’ve played at before so it was something I was really excited for and I’m glad it’s been finalised.
“The club being in League One wasn’t really something that crossed my mind.
“I still believe
I can play higher but the pull of everything I mentioned and playing at such a nice stadium every other week far outweighed anything else.” Derby fans will hope that Chester can play a key role as the club looks to bounce back to the Championship after they were relegated last term. Amid a mood of real optimism now that Clowes have completed their takeover, Derby are hoping to follow it up with success on the pitch. Chester said the ambition of returning to the Championship was a challenge he wanted to be a part of. “The opportunities in your career to achieve something aren’t there very often so to have some responsibility to get this club back
I still believe I can play higher but the pull of everything outweighed anything else.
James Chester
to the Championship, where they deserve to be at the very minimum, is another huge reason,” he said.
“It’s an exciting time with the huge rebuild happening with the club.
“The squad last year formed a real bond with the fanbase and I think it’s important for us as a new squad to maintain that and, hopefully, give them something to look forward to.”
Chester is highly regarded as a solid, experienced defender and Ras fans will be please to hear what some of his former bosses have said about him.
Chris Coleman was his manager with Wales and clearly a big admirer.
“A lot of international football is the mental challenge when you’re up against the best strikers in the world,” said Coleman.
“Nothing can happen for long periods and then something can happen very quickly and you’re asked a serious question.
“If you don’t think quickly, you’ll get found out. James is good at that, he’s good one versus one, he’s a fantastic athlete and he’s got a fantastic mentality.”
Chester spent only a year with West Bromwich Albion under Tony Pulis before moving on to Aston Villa.
But, after signing his from Hull in 2015, Pulis said: “He’s a strong character, a good defender.
“He has good feet and he has the Manchester United stamp all over him, just like Ryan Shawcross and Darren Fletcher.”
Chester, now 33, played 171 times for Hull and has 420 career appearances under his belt.
He began as a Manchester United trainee and loan spells with Peterborough United, Plymouth Argylke and Carlisle United predated his move to Hull.
West Brom paid £8m for him, then Villa paid £9m before he moved to Stoke in 2020.