[themaclad]

Crewe Alexandra have signed forward Jack Lankester from Cambridge United for an undisclosed fee.

The 24-year-old has joined the League Two club on a three-year deal.

He began his career at Ipswich Town before joining Cambridge in the summer of 2021 and went on to make 123 appearances for the U's.

Lankester becomes the third close-season signing for Crewe after striker Kane Hemmings and defender Jamie Knight-Lebel.

[themaclad]

Crewe Alexandra have signed experienced forward Omar Bogle on a two-year contract following his release by Newport County.

The 31-year-old scored 24 goals in 71 league appearances during two seasons with County.

He began his career at Solihull Moors and his previous clubs also include Grimsby Town, Wigan, Cardiff and Charlton Athletic.

Bogle is Crewe's fifth summer signing following Jack Lankester, Kane Hemmings, Jamie Knight and Max Sanders.

Lee Bell's side will start the new season with an away game against Barrow, having lost to Crawley in the League Two play-off final at Wembley in May.

[themaclad]

Crewe Alexandra have signed Aston Villa goalkeeper Filip Marschall on a season-long loan.

The 21-year-old former England Under-19 international spent the second half of last season on loan with fellow League Two side MK Dons where he played six games, his final one the second leg of their play-off semi-final loss to Crawley Town.

Marschall has played six times for Villa's under-21 side and made his senior debut in November in Bosnia and Herzegovina against Zrinjski Mostar in the Europa Conference League group stages.

Marschall is the club's sixth summer signing.

[themaclad]

Crewe Alexandra have signed defender James Connolly from League One side Bristol Rovers on a two-year deal.

The 22-year-old joins for an undisclosed fee having made 73 appearances during his time with The Gas.

Connolly came through Blackburn Rovers' academy and went on to join Cardiff City in 2021.

He joined Bristol Rovers following an initial loan deal and helped them win promotion from League Two in 2022.

[themaclad]

Crewe have signed attacking midfielder Kian Breckin from Manchester City on a season-long loan.

The 20-year-old, who spent a six-month loan spell with Wycombe last season, goes straight into the Alex squad for their League Cup tie against Rotherham on Tuesday.

He becomes the ninth new addition to Lee Bell's squad during the summer transfer window.

Manchester-born Breckin has been with the Premier League champions since the age of 11 and was part of the under-18 side that won successive Premier League 2 titles in 2021 and 2022.

He joined Wycombe on loan at the beginning of last season and featured nine times for the Chairboys before returning to City in January.

[themaclad]

Crewe Alexandra midfielder Jack Powell has signed a new 18-month contract with the promotion-chasing League Two side.

The former Milwall, Ebbsfleet, Crawley and Aldershot man only returned to first team duty with the Alex just before Christmas after 13 months out with an anterior cruciate knee ligament injury.

But he has now started two of Crewe's last three matches.

"He's a person I've got massive respect for," Alex boss Lee Bell told BBC Radio Stoke. "He's a good influence on and off the pitch.

"We just wanted to see what he looks like after his injury. He's worked like a Trojan so we just wanted to put his mind to rest."

Bell's side sit second in League Two,12 points behind leaders Walsall, going into Saturday's home game with Accrington Stanley.

[themaclad]

Crewe Alexandra have re-signed midfielder Tom Lowery on loan from Championship club Portsmouth for the rest of the season.

Lowery, 27, has made only 31 first-team appearances in two and a half years since being signed by then Pompey boss Danny Cowley in August 2022.

But he now becomes the second Alex old boy to return to Gresty Road in this January window to bolster the League Two promotion chasers, following last week's re-signing of centre-back Connor O'Riordan from Blackburn Rovers.

"I haven't played as much as I wanted over the past couple of seasons," Lowery told BBC Radio Stoke. "But I'm just looking forward now. I'm fit and ready to go. And I can't wait to get started.

"As soon as I heard Crewe were interested, I was desperate to come back. The team are doing well and it's an opportunity to help as much as I can."

Local product Lowery made 175 appearances in his first six seasons at Crewe, scoring 13 goals - but he made just seven League One starts under John Mousinho as Pompey won promotion last term and has not figured at all in the Championship.

Although Walsall lead League Two by 11 points, the battle for the other two automatic promotion places is raging.

Crewe had the chance to halve the gap when Walsall twice lost this week – but instead they picked up just one point out of a possible six from successive home games and have now dropped to fifth, in a cluster of seven teams from second place down separated by just six points.

[themaclad]

Crewe Alexandra captain Mickey Demetriou has signed a new deal with the promotion-chasing League Two club.

The 35-year-old former Kidderminster Harriers, Shrewsbury Town, Cambridge United and Newport County defender has put pen to paper on a one-year contract, with an option for a further year.

Demetriou turned down the offer of a new deal with Newport in the summer of 2023 to join Crewe, when he signed an initial one-year agreement, with the option of a 12-month extension.

Having taken up that option, his current deal was due to run out this summer but he is now signed up at least until 2026.

Last year's player of the season has missed eight games since the turn of the year with a calf injury, but he returned on Saturday as the Alex earned a point against promotion rivals Notts County at Meadow Lane.

Ahead of this Saturday's lunchtime derby date with Port Vale, Lee Bell's Alex sit ninth in League Two, six points shy of an automatic promotion place with eight games remaining - and only a point off the play-off places.

[themaclad]

Crewe Alexandra have signed Harrogate Town top goalscorer Josh March on a two-year deal.

March, who scored nine league goals last season, joins the Railwaymen on a free transfer after the expiry of his contract.

March made his name as a prolific non-league striker, scoring 81 goals in 184 games for Alvechurch and, after scoring 16 in a season for Leamington, moved to League Two with Forest Green Rovers.

After two-and-a-half seasons with The Green, including 11 goals in their promotion campaign of 2021-22, he moved to Stevenage and then joined Harrogate in 2023.

[themaclad]

Crewe midfielder Owen Lunt has signed a new one-year contract with the League Two club.

The 20-year-old played 23 times for the Alex this season, either side of a three-month loan with National League North side Southport.

Lunt, nephew of Crewe legend Kenny Lunt, has been with the club for more than 10 years.

Four of his five starts in 2024-25 came in the last four games of the season as Crewe finished in ninth place, eight points outside the play-offs.

Lunt's new deal has the option for an additional 12 months and follows the club's recent signing of Harrogate Town's top goalscorer Josh March on a two-year contract.