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Mears says au revoir to Derby, as he leaves for pastures new in Marseille. Karl Thornton reports. |
The only transfer activity of any note on deadline day for Derby County was that of full-back Tyrone Mears joining Olympique Marseille on a season-long loan deal, with a view to a permanent move next summer.Mears joined the Rams from West Ham, also initially on loan, in January 2007. He played a key role in the subsequent successful promotion campaign, most notably his heroics in the play-off final victory against West Bromich Albion. Mears has had a turbulent time since that memorable day, having been a regular under former boss Billy Davies. After four months injured last season, on his return to the side he found himself being played on the right of midfield, having been dropped in favour of veteran Marc Edworthy in his familiar right-back berth towards the back end of last season. The move, however, became inevitable, when Mears travelled to France for a trial without permission. This decision saw him incur the wrath of Paul Jewell who said he would “never play for the club again”. It’s a shame that Mears will probably be remembered for this unfortunate episode, as he is an extremely accomplished right-back with his best years still in front of him. Also on Monday, Derby reportedly turned down a £2 million, plus add-ons, bid from Newcastle United for promising midfielder Giles Barnes. The Rams, however, can still enter the loan market for new additions in their bid to climb off the bottom of the Championship. Karl Thornton Click to view author Karl's profile Fancy writing for LiveFootball? Click here to find out more. |