Domestic-league season · Milton Keynes Dons.
Missed 16 of Milton Keynes Dons's ~46 games this season through 16 injury absences (knee, torn knee ligaments, inactive). He still appeared 18 times — a solid return given how little of the season he was available. His rating is judged mainly on the games he was fit to play.
| Competition | Apps | G | A | Min | Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 League Two | 18 | 2 | 1 | 1455 | 7.19 |
 Championshipat Derby | 2 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 6.7 |
Following his move to Milton Keynes Dons, Nelson's current-season form is down 27% on last season (Season 26→19), while his Rating eased 31→12. His peak season for form remains 2023/24 (Season 61).
| Season | Club | Apps | G | A | Match | RTG | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/26 | Milton Keynes Dons · 2nd | 18 | 2 | 1 | 7.19 | 12 | 19 |
| 2024/25 | Derby · 19th | 27 | 2 | 1 | 6.99 | 31 | 26 |
| 2023/24 | Derby · 2nd | 46 | 2 | 0 | 7.08 | 33 | 61 |
| 2022/23 | Blackpool · 23rd | 27 | 1 | 0 | 6.82 | 38 | 30 |
| 2021/22 | Cardiff · 18th | 30 | 0 | 0 | 6.74 | 47 | 22 |
| 2020/21 | Cardiff · 8th | 44 | 1 | 0 | 6.91 | 61 | 47 |
Domestic-league totals per season. RTG = Field Insider Rating (potential / ceiling); Season = age-blind form that year.
C. Nelson is a 33-year-old central defender at Milton Keynes Dons, rated 11.6 overall by Field Insider's model, ranking 416th of 478 in the League Two. A seasoned veteran, he has been a rotation option this season (53.9% of available minutes). His defensive output reads 2.41 tackles, blocks and interceptions per 90. Below: strengths, watch-points, market-value outlook and the latest transfer news on Nelson.
Judged on this season alone, Nelson graded 19 — a workmanlike campaign that ranks 34th of 76 of the 76 centre-backs in the League Two, on 5 clean sheets and 2.412 defensive actions per 90.
Year-on-year, that's a drop on last season (Season 26 → 19). Over the 6 seasons on record his form has drifted down, peaking in 2023/24.
On long-term talent our Rating reads 12, 59th of 76 of the 76 centre-backs in the League Two. At 33 Nelson is into the veteran stage, where the age curve weighs on the projection, and a market index of 1.2 reflects that trajectory.
Read the appearance count in context: Nelson missed 16 games through injury (knee, torn knee ligaments, inactive) out of roughly 46 this season. The 18 he did play is a solid return on the time he was fit, and his ratings are weighted toward those games rather than the ones he sat out injured.
Past his 2023/24 peak — the recent trend is downward, so buyers are paying for what's left, not what was.
2.41 tackles, blocks & interceptions per 90 — moderate defensive volume, with 5 clean sheets across 18 appearances. Behind a title-challenging side (2nd of 24) the side controls more games, so the defensive load is lighter — the value sits as much in composure and ball progression as in raw volume. Going forward he chipped in 2 goals and 1 assist — a useful bonus from the back.
With a Rating of 11.6, Nelson carries the 59th-highest potential of the centre-backs in the League Two of 76. Defensively he reads as moderate defensive volume (2.41 tackles, blocks & interceptions per 90). Veteran phase — a short-term, lower-fee proposition as both level and value decline (0.7× and falling).
Generated from Field Insider's rating model · AI-written analysis to follow.
The gold line is market value — an index (not €) blending rating, age and league. It climbs through the early 20s, peaks around ages 23–27 (~4), then tapers with age. At 33, Nelson sits on 1.2, past its peak and easing. The blue line is Nelson's projected Rating — 11.6 today — recomputed at each age, so it follows the same rise-and-fall as a career matures and declines. Solid = up to today; dashed = projected.
No transfer news found for this player.
