Crewe Alexandra defender James Connolly has left the club after turning down a new contract. The 24-year-old Welshman joined Crewe from Bristol Rovers for the 2024-25 season and made 71 appearances, scoring 3 goals.

What happened?

Connolly's departure comes after he was offered a new deal at the end of last season, but he has chosen to leave in search of a new challenge.

Why it matters for Crewe

The loss of Connolly will be felt by Crewe, who are currently 11th in League Two with 67 points, 20 points behind leaders Bromley, and have a recent form of DLLLW.

What comes next?

Crewe will need to find a replacement for Connolly, with Lewis Billington, Stan Dancey, Luca Moore, and Fin Roberts still to sort their futures out, after Conor Thomas agreed a new one-year contract two weeks ago. As of the last result, Crewe drew 0-0 with Cambridge United on 2026-05-02, and the club will be looking to improve their form, having scored 64 goals and conceded 58 this season, with a goal difference of +6.