Thursday 2 June 2016 18:29, UK
New Derby County boss Nigel Pearson says he has found a club which has him excited about the prospect of returning to management.
The 52-year-old had been out of work since leaving Leicester, who escaped relegation under his management in 2014-15 before claiming an incredible Premier League title under his replacement Claudio Ranieri.
Pearson guided the Foxes to promotion from the Championship in 2014 and will now try to repeat the feat at Derby, who fell short in the play-off semi-finals last season.
"I am delighted to be at Derby County, I have had a while out," Pearson told a press conference. "I think one of the most important things on my return was to start again at somewhere where I felt it was the right fit for me.
"You get time to reflect and it was really important for me to start again at a club where I felt excited about being back in management.
"To come to a club with such good infrastructure is a big thing for me. This is an excellent opportunity, the squad is in a healthy state and is immensely talented.
"I feel Derby is a good fit for me and I hope now that I am going to be a good fit for Derby."
Former Rams player Chris Powell will act as Pearson's assistant and the new boss added: "I'm delighted he is here with me.
"He is someone I have so much respect for and he brings a wealth of experience."
Pearson thinks his new team can take heart from the exploits of his old one and is pleased the Leicester squad built on the work he began.
"For sure, I am delighted for them," he said. "A lot of those players are players who I have a very strong association with.
"It is a fantastic story and it is a story which gives a lot of clubs hope for the future moving forward."
Pearson's full focus is now on securing promotion once again and he added: "Whenever you take over a club with stature in the Championship, and Derby is certainly that, that has to be the aim.
"I'm not going to talk about timescales but that's clearly what we want to achieve, although it's never easy and there are some big clubs in this league.
"The foundations are in place for the Premier League, not just the squad but the infrastructure and facilities.
"There is the basis of a very good squad here, not to say there won't be tweaks made along the way."
