After a clumsy late summer season saga, Tom Edwards has ended his stint with the New York Purple Bulls.

On Thursday afternoon it was confirmed that the English defender — who has spent the final two seasons on mortgage in New York from Stoke Metropolis — might be returning residence to start a brand new mortgage with Barnsley of League One, England’s third division. Native Yorkshire reporter Doug O’Kane first reported the information earlier than each Barnsley and New York issued official confirmations.

In a narrative first damaged by OaM in late July, the 23-year-old Edwards returned to the UK halfway by way of the MLS season to take care of private issues. Whereas Gerhard Struber and the Purple Bulls formally maintained over current weeks that Edwards was nonetheless a member of the squad, sources indicated to OaM that Edwards had given an amicable farewell to the squad forward of his return to England in July and coming again to New York was by no means a chance.

The eventual end result sees the fullback enter his second profession mortgage at League One stage following a stint with Fleetwood City in 2020. He joins Barnsley, the small-town membership beforehand managed by Gerhard Struber within the Championship that finally fell to relegation two seasons and two managers later.

Edwards thus ends his MLS profession with 47 league appearances in what turned out to be a much more substantial stint than its momentary nature first implied. He first joined New York in early 2021 as one in every of a number of loans the membership introduced over within the hopes of revamping the squad through the depths of the covid pandemic. Taking part in a number of defensive roles in addition to a stint in central midfield final summer season, Edwards turned a stalwart of Struber’s setup, with the Austrian typically praising the “loopy man from England” for his psychological and bodily toughness. Although Edwards returned to coach with Stoke this previous winter, New York organized a second mortgage season for the favored locker room determine earlier this 12 months.

Edwards’ departure from the staff in July correlated with a dramatic stoop within the staff’s defensive document, marked by ignominious second half collapses to Colorado and within the Open Cup semifinals to Orlando Metropolis. Although New York has stabilized within the again over current weeks by way of the mortgage acquisition of former fullback Kyle Duncan, the lack of Edwards is a blow to Struber’s acknowledged need firstly of the summer season to maintain his present squad intact.

However then once more, there’s no rule in opposition to arranging a 3rd mortgage a while sooner or later…