Former Town striker David McGoldrick has rejoined his first club Notts County on a two-year deal after turning down the offer of a new contract at Derby County.
McGoldrick, 35, came through the academy at Meadow Road and made his debut for his hometown club aged 16 but after only two starts and two sub appearances was quickly snapped up by then-Premier League Southampton.
The former Republic of Ireland international, who scored 25 times for the League One Rams during 2022/23, was with the Blues between January 2013 and the summer of 2018, initially on loan from Nottingham Forest, scoring 45 goals in 126 starts and 33 sub appearances.
“We’re over the moon to welcome someone of David’s immense quality and experience,” the Magpies, who were promoted back to League Two last month, wrote in a statement on their website.
“He joins us on the back of his best-ever goalscoring season, but anyone who’s followed his career knows his talents extend far beyond his ability in front of goal.
“David’s an incredibly intelligent and intricate footballer who also boasts tremendous physicality, so we believe he can be hugely effective in a number of attacking roles.
“He’s been a leader and top professional at several big clubs, including recently in the Premier League with Sheffield United, and we believe his know-how and willingness to impart knowledge on to younger players will be invaluable.
“As you would suspect, David hasn’t made this decision for financial reasons. His love and respect for the club have brought him home and he’s going to be a talismanic figure as we commence this exciting new chapter.”
McGoldrick admitted it was a difficult decision to exit Pride Park after only one season.
“It has been a difficult decision for me to leave Derby County, but it has been a huge ambition of mine to play for Notts County again before the end of my career,” he told the Rams official website.
“I’ve been honest and open with both [manager] Paul Warne and the club about it in recent weeks and they’ve been supportive and understanding.
“If it wasn’t for the fact that I had the chance to return to Notts, it would have been a no-brainer to stay at Derby – regardless of interest from any other club.
“I really enjoyed working under the gaffer and his staff, playing alongside the lads and, of course, performing in front of the brilliant fans at Pride Park. I want to thank everyone for making me feel so welcome in the last year.
“I had a wonderful season with Derby and to score 25 goals and three hat-tricks made it such an enjoyable time, the best in terms of goals for me personally in the season, and actually made the decision such a difficult one.
“I’ve had many conversations with the gaffer over the last few weeks and he really did do everything he could to keep me at Derby but, in the end, I have decided to go with my heart and return to Notts.”
