Breaking: Derby County confirm another summer transfer

Derby County have confirmed the signing of free agent midfielder Korey Smith, following the player's release by Swansea City at the end of June.

The 31-year-old spent two seasons in south Wales after arriving from Bristol City on a free transfer in the summer of 2020. Smith made 77 appearances for the Swans, one of which came during their Championship play-off semi-final second leg against Barnsley as they reached the final at Wembley Stadium in his debut season with Swansea.

Before that, Smith had spent six years with Bristol City and made almost 200 appearances for the club. The midfielder was part of the team that won the League One title and Johnstone's Paint Trophy double under Steve Cotterill back in the 2014–15 campaign.

The former England under-17 international is no stranger to securing promotions. Smith was promoted in back-to-back seasons while with Norwich City as they followed up winning the third tier by finishing as runners-up to Queens Park Rangers and sealing Premier League promotion. The midfielder made the bench once for a match against West Ham United on New Years' Day 2013 but did not feature in the top flight.

Smith also memorably scored the winning goal against Carabao Cup holders Manchester United to reach the 2017 League Cup semi-finals with Bristol City. Lee Johnson's side lost that two-legged tie 5-3 on aggregate to eventual winners Manchester City.

At Derby, Smith joins fellow summer signing Conor Hourihane in adding experience to interim manager Liam Rosenior 's midfield. That area of the squad also still includes Krystian Bielik, Max Bird, Louie Sibley and Jason Knight, as well as Liam Thompson, who committed his future to the club by signing a two-year contract earlier this month.