Albion for £300,000. Lewin Nyatanga joined Bristol City for an undisclosed fee, thought to be around £500,000. Additionally, Martin Albrechtsen was told he was free to find a new club, and Claude Davis entered into negotiations to cancel his contract two years early. Rumours consistently surfaced regarding Player of the Year Rob Hulse and Kris Commons being sold, with Clough stating he was 'unsurprised' by speculation linking Hulse with a £3m move to Middlesbrough, and Kris Commons with £3m and £4m moves to Celtic and Everton respectively. Clough's first signings were non-League pair Jake Buxton from Burton Albion on an initial one-year deal and Ben Pringle from Ilkeston Town. They were joined by Exeter City's Dean Moxey, who signed for an initial £300,000 and former Norwich City winger Lee Croft and ex-Burton Albion goalkeeper Saul Deeney on free transfers. There was also a drawn out chase for Blackpool defender Shaun Barker, who also attracted interest from local rivals Nottingham Forest. An initial offer of £400,000, rising to £500,000 was rejected, with a rumoured £750,000 plus add-ons later offered. Other sources suggested that both Derby and Forest has made offers of £700,000 plus an unnamed player (rumoured to be Liam Dickinson, who had had a loan spell at Blackpool the previous campaign). He eventually signed on 15 July 2009 for a fee of £900,000. On top of these signings, several trialists were taken. Of those trialled, the club declined to sign former Norwich City captain Mark Fotheringham and Cambridge City's Scott Neilson. A loan was agreed, in principal, for Arsenal's Mark Randall, though the club declined to sign the player after he failed to impress on trial, and initial contract talks were held with Patrick Kisnorbo, before he eventually joined Leeds United. There were also trials given to ex-Stoke City youngster Mark Grocott, Berwick Rangers forward Fraser McLaren and Juventus midfielder David Junior Toukam. There were also links with Crewe Alexandra's John Brayford, Rangers midfielder Charlie Adam, Blackburn goalkeeper Frank Fielding and Charlton Athletic's Nicky Bailey. August Derby kicked off the 2009–10 season with a home match against newly promoted Peterborough United. Three players, Dean Moxey, Lee Croft and Jake Buxton, made their full debuts, with a fourth, Ben Pringle, coming on as a substitute. Gary Teale's 87th-minute goal sealed a 2–1 win and ensured that the club won its opening game of the season for the first time since 2002