Fulham’s on loan striker Chris Martin has signed a new deal with parent club Derby County – and said he looks forward to returning there “as soon as possible”.
Martin has been involved in a month-long fight over his services, after telling Fulham at the end of last month that he wanted to go back to Derby.
The Whites refused, however, and with no recall option in the loan agreement, Derby could not cut it short themselves.
Martin was left out for three matches while the row went on but he returned to the fold against Barnsley on January 14, after which Whites boss Slavisa Jokanovic said the Scotland forward had “cleared his mind”.
Originally loaned out to Fulham by previous Rams boss Nigel Pearson, Martin is now keen to play for his successor Steve McClaren.
Speaking to the Derby website, Martin said: “At the start of this season I was not in the previous manager’s plans, which is a decision that I completely understood and respected.
“As a result I had the opportunity to move to Fulham on loan, which gave me the chance to play first-team football elsewhere.
“I am thankful that the board only allowed the move on a temporary basis, because I really didn’t want to leave Derby and my family is settled in the area too.
“Derby County is a fantastic club with so many things going for it and driven desire to reach the Premier League.
“I am very happy that the club and the manager see me as part of the long-term future. I am committed to being as successful as I possibly can be with Derby County.
“I enjoyed playing under Steve McClaren in the past and I feel that he got the best out of me, so I look forward to doing so as soon as possible.”
This post was last modified on 29/01/2017