Carlisle United Land Experienced Defender

League Two side Carlisle United have announced the signing of experienced defender Terell Thomas on a two-year deal, via a statement on the club’s website.

Thomas has enjoyed a large exposure to EFL football in recent seasons and has now secured the next chapter of his career with Carlisle United. 

He joins the League Two side off the back of their relegation from the third tier and arrives on a free transfer ahead of the 2024/25 campaign, with the club likely to be keen on a return to the third tier. 

Who is Terell Thomas?

Thomas, 28, started his career at Arsenal before signing his first professional contract at Charlton Athletic as a teenager. 

He went on to play for clubs such as Wigan Athletic, AFC Wimbledon, Crewe Alexandra and Reading before returning to the Valley in 2022. 

He made 40 League One appearances for Charlton Athletic last season under Nathan Jones and has also featured 12 times for his country Saint Lucia. 

What did the manager have to say about the latest addition to Carlisle’s squad?

Manager Paul Simpson said: “I’m delighted to get Terell into the club. We’ve been working on this for a number of weeks.

“I think he’s a fantastic addition to the squad, he’s got good experience of playing in English football, he’s a full international, he’s just come back from competing in a couple of games for Saint Lucia where he captained the team, so he’s got leadership qualities. 

The addition of Thomas adds further EFL experience to the Carlisle United backline ahead of the upcoming campaign, along with the previous two defensive additions that the club have already made. 

The Blues summer transfer business

Terell Thomas is the fourth addition to the Blues squad for next season as they prepare for their return to League Two. 

Thomas follows Aaron Hayden, Jude Smith and Cameron Harper through the door at Brunton Park. There is still a lot of work going on behind the scenes to bring in further reinforcements as well with the manager adding in his interview…

“We’re obviously also working on other things, but I don’t like to say whether things are close are not because it always comes back to bite me on the backside.”

It remains to be seen whether Carlisle United will target further defensive additions ahead of the new season, but the additions that they have made have improved the strength and depth in that area already.