'His head is already there' - EFL club releases ex-Leeds United man with Whites reunion expected

Carlisle confirmed today that the 22-year-old, who joined in June 2022 following his exit from Leeds, has departed and will head to Australia for a ‘new challenge.’ Former Leeds player and coach Mark Jackson, who worked with Edmondson at Thorp Arch, is in charge of Central Coast Mariners in the A-League and Carlisle expect the pair to link up shortly.

The Cumbrians’ boss Paul Simpson said: “This is something that has been going on for a while but I only found out about it when it was quite far down the line. I heard that Ryan had ended the lease on his apartment in Carlisle and moved out which surprised me a little bit. After speaking to him, this opportunity has come for him to go over to Australia and he wants to do it. The fact that he's moved out of his apartment tells me his head is already there. I'm led to believe he's going to Central Coast Mariners and he's working with a coach who he knows from his time at Leeds. I want players who are absolutely committed to helping us get out of the situation we're in. Ryan has been a decent servant for the club although it probably hasn't worked out how we all would have wanted it to. He's made the decision that he wants the next stage of his career to be in Australia so we've agreed to let him go. We wish him all the best and thank him for what he's done for us."

Posting on social media after his Carlisle exit was confirmed Edmondson said: “Everyone from the manager and coaching staff to my team-mates and all the backroom staff, I want to thank you for welcoming me and creating this family we have built, it has been nothing less than an honour to share my time at the club with you and we’ve had some amazing times along the way.”

Edmondson has scored seven goals in his 52 appearances for the Blues, after getting his first real taste of senior football through a series of loan stints while still a Leeds player. He first arrived at Elland Road in November 2017 and though he put together a prolific goalscoring record for club and country at youth level, found it hard to make a significant breakthrough into the men’s game. Paul Heckingbottom handed him a senior debut on the last day of the 2017/18 season, as a 73rd-minute substitute in a home win against Queens Park Rangers, aged just 16 years and 351 days. The following season Marcelo Bielsa also used him as a substitute, on one occasion, before he was sent out on loan to the likes of Aberdeen, Northampton Town, Fleetwood Town and Port Vale.

Edmondson and Carlisle United won promotion to League One last summer via the play-offs, but have struggled this season and sit second bottom, two points clear of basement side Fleetwood Town. Jackson’s Central Coast Mariners, meanwhile, are fifth in the 12-team A-League and riding an eight-game unbeaten run that has handed Jackson a nomination for the division’s Coach of the Month award for December.