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Exeter City have signed former Wycombe Wanderers defender Luca Woodhouse on a two-year contract.

The 20-year-old was a free agent after leaving the Chairboys this summer and Exeter have an option to extend Woodhouse's deal by a further 12 months.

Woodhouse can play as a left-sided central defender or in the middle of the back three, but is also able to play at left-back and central midfield.

He spent last season on loan at National League sides Aldershot Town and Dagenham and Redbridge and played twice in the EFL Trophy for Wycombe.

"He is a young player with a bright future," Exeter boss Gary Caldwell told the club website.

"Left-footed centre-backs are hard to find and Luca comes with League One experience, having come from Wycombe, and experience of playing games at National League level.

"We believe he can make the step up and contribute. It's a big step and we've had it with Millenic Alli and Vincent Harper in recent years – he is somebody we believe that over time will become a big player for the club."

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Exeter City have signed left-sided defender Ryan Rydel on loan from Stockport County.

The 24-year-old has agreed a season-long stay at St James Park having helped County win promotion from the National League and again from League Two.

There is no recall clause in the deal meaning Rydel will stay at Exeter for the entire campaign.

He is the third defensive signing this summer - Luca Woodhouse joined last week while Johnly Yfeko turned his loan from Rangers into a permanent move last month.

Rydel played 22 times in all competitions last season, featuring in Stockport's play-off semi-final second leg loss to Leyton Orient on penalties.

"Ryan is someone we believe is proven at this level and I watched him recently in the play-off semi-final and he was brilliant in the game and changed the game," Exeter manager Gary Caldwell told the club website.

"We believe he is an out and out full-back as well as wing-back who can cover the whole left side of the pitch, which is something we have not had at the club for a while in terms of being able to defend and attack.

"We are really thankful to Stockport for loaning him to us as we know he will be a big asset to us this season."

[themaclad]

Exeter City have signed Brentford midfielder Ethan Brierley on a season-long loan and former Reading striker Jayden Wareham for an undisclosed fee.

21-year-old Brierley's sole first-team appearance for the Premier League side came as a substitute in the EFL Cup two years ago.

He joined the Bees from Rochdale in June 2023 and has spent the past two seasons playing for their B team after impressing for Dale as a teenager in League One and League Two.

Meanwhile, Exeter have agreed to pay Reading compensation for Wareham, 22, who came up through the club's academy before spending time at Chelsea.

He has agreed a two-year deal at St James Park with the club having an option to extend his contract by a further 12 months.

Wareham scored seven goals if 44 games last season and has also spent time on loan at Woking and Leyton Orient


"We've been chasing Jayden Wareham all summer," Exeter City manager Gary Caldwell told BBC Radio Devon.

"We believe he's a young striker with a huge future.

"He's scored goals at League One, which is very difficult for us to attract a player who has scored goals at our level, they normally come with a huge price tag, and hopefully we've kind of stolen a march on teams and got in for Jayden at the right time when we can get him.

"He's a really energetic player who works extremely hard, not only does he score and perform in possession, but he actually is the first line of defence and presses extremely well."

Brierley follows fellow Brentford youngster Ryan Trevitt, who had two half-season loan spells at Exeter, over the past two seasons.

"He's somebody we know a lot about and we've been tracking him for a long time," Caldwell said of his new loanee.

"I feel like this is the right opportunity and moment for him to come and show what he can do.

"He's an energetic midfield player, quite similar to Ryan Trevitt in how he can build deeper, but he can also attack the box and have quality in the final third."

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Crystal Palace goalkeeper Joe Whitworth has agreed to return to Exeter City on a second season-long loan.

The 21-year-old spent last season at St James Park where he started every League One, FA Cup and Carabao Cup match Exeter played - a total of 51 games, in which he kept 16 clean sheets.

He has played for England at under-15, under-16 and under-18 level and made two Premier League first-team appearances for Palace in the 2022-23 season - away at Brighton & Hove Albion and Arsenal.

Exeter are without any senior goalkeepers in their squad after Shaun MacDonald was released in May and Harry Lee turned down a new deal last week, leaving 18-year-old Frankie Phillips as the only keeper on the books.

"We've had some fantastic goalkeepers on loan and Joe was right up there with the best of them last season," Exeter City manager Gary Caldwell told the club website.

"He showed some incredible form and racked up a huge number of clean sheets and was one of the best in the league last season.

"He was named the supporters' player of the year too so is well liked at the football club and we are delighted we have managed to get him back.

"I'm sure this year with the character he is and way he approaches everyday he will be even better - he's a huge signing for us."

[themaclad]

Exeter City have signed Aston Villa defender Sil Swinkels on a season-long loan, while midfielder Kevin McDonald has rejoined on a one-year deal.

Swinkels, 21, is a former Netherlands youth international.

He spent the second half of last season on loan at Bristol Rovers, where he played 18 times and scored twice.

Ex-Scotland international McDonald's short-term contract expired in the summer but he has now been offered a new deal at St James Park.

The 36-year-old made 14 appearances for the Grecians last season.

Swinkels was part of the Aston Villa youth side who were forced to play Liverpool in an FA Cup tie in January 2021 after a Covid-19 outbreak among the first-team squad.

"Sil is a young centre-half we have been chasing all summer, from his loan at Bristol Rovers last year," manager Gary Caldwell told the club website., external

"He had a difficult time there in terms of the team [Rovers were relegated], but we feel that experience will stand him in good stead and we believe he will have a big impact to play for us as both a centre-back and left centre-back.

"He is a really important signing for us."

[themaclad]

Exeter City have signed free-agent goalkeeper Jack Bycroft on a two‑year contract.

The 23‑year‑old spent the last season-and-a-half at Swindon Town where he made 40 appearances in League Two.

The former Southampton academy player has played for a number of non-league sides including Weymouth, Dorchester Town, Taunton Town, Aldershot Town and Oxford City.

The former England Under-19 player has been training with Exeter for the past few weeks and featured in the pre-season friendly at Torquay United.

He will add competition to Crystal Palace loanee Joe Whitworth, who returned to City for a second season earlier this month.

"We wanted to get a young goalkeeper permanently that can push Joe and have the potential to become a future number one," said manager Gary Caldwell.

"We've looked at a few over the summer on trial and Jack fits the profile of someone who has had minutes in League Two and is a young keeper with good pedigree from Southampton.

"Working alongside Joe will bring out the best in him so we are delighted to get him in."

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Exeter City have signed Irish midfielder Jake Doyle-Hayes from League of Ireland side Sligo Rovers.

The 26-year-old, who came through Aston Villa's academy, has joined the club for an undisclosed fee.

He links up with City boss Gary Caldwell, who with the midfielder when he was assistant manager at Hibernian.

"He was excellent in our time there, a really competitive, aggressive midfield player," Caldwell told BBC Radio Devon.

"He can play as an eight or a six, he's somebody with a real quality in possession as well, technically very good, physically very good."

Having begun his career in England at at Aston Villa's academy - where he made three EFL Cup appearances - Doyle-Hayes had loan spells at Cambridge United and Cheltenham Town before joining St Mirren in November 2020.

He played 30 games for St Mirren in all competitions before joining Hibernian in the summer of 2021.

He went on the play 70 games for Hibs before leaving by mutual consent in January after an injury-hit time at Easter Road and returned to his homeland with Sligo Rovers.

In May, it was announced that Doyle-Hayes would be pursing legal action against his former club after a tackle by a previous manager in 2022 left him with long-term injuries.

Lawyers for the player said the midfielder's career had been "greatly restricted" by the ankle issue that followed from the incident.

"He's someone every window I've really kind of spoke to his agent and inquired about," added Caldwell.

"He's been at Hibs, he's had an injury and he spent the last period of his career in Ireland purely to get minutes after a bad ankle injury and he's been playing week in week out over in the League of Ireland so he comes in very fit and ready to play.

"But not only that I think longer term he has real potential to be a top player for the club."