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Forest sign Derby striker Earnshaw for £2.65m

30/05/2008

Newly-promoted Championship side Nottingham Forest have completed the signing of striker Rob Earnshaw from Derby County.

The Welsh international cost the City Ground outfit £2.65 million and he joins the club after weeks of speculation that manager Colin Calderwood was keen to add the 27-year-old to his strikeforce.

Earnshaw endured a difficult season with Forest's Midlands rivals after joining the Rams for a club-record fee of £3.5 million from Norwich City last summer.

He struggled to hold down a first-team place at Pride Park and found himself surplus to requirements when former manager Billy Davies was sacked by the club and replaced by Paul Jewell.

As a result, Earnshaw has said he was keen to move on and could not wait to get started with his new team - who are now in the same division as his former club.

"It has taken a few weeks. I've had time to think about it and went away to assess everything after speaking to the manager but I'm happy it's all done now," he told Forest's official website.

"Everyone knows all about the club and what it's about. Getting to know Colin Calderwood was important - I wanted to get to know what he was like and what he's looking for.

"We had a good, long chat and that was a big factor in my decision in the end. Now that everything is sorted I can't wait for the start of the season."

In addition to Derby County, Earnshaw will also face two other former employers in the Championship next season in Norwich City and Cardiff City.

His other English professional club, West Bromwich Albion, won the title and automatic promotion to the Premier League at the end of the 2007/08 season.