Chennaiyin FC set to sign English defender Ryan Edwards on free transfer | ISL 2023-24
Chennaiyin FC are close to obtaining the services of centre-back Ryan Edwards ahead of the 2023-24 Indian Super League (ISL) season.
Sportskeeda understands that the Marina Machans are set to sign Edwards on a free transfer. The 29-year-old could officially become their fifth or sixth signing of the summer, with sources indicating that another foreign centre-back arrival is on the cards. The order of the two announcements remains unknown.
Regardless, Ryan Edwards will join a revamped foreign contingent that currently includes Connor Shields, Jordan Murray, Rafael Crivellaro and Cristian Battocchio. Chennaiyin have also brought in multiple domestic signings, including Farukh Chaudhary, Ayush Adhikari, Ankit Mukherjee, Sachu Siby and Irfan Yadwad.
Edwards, born in Liverpool on October 7, 1993, has mostly spent his career in the lower tiers of the English football pyramid. He has played 160 times in League Two (which he won in the 2013-14 season) and 82 games in League One, in addition to also featuring in 82 Scottish Premiership games.
The Englishman has played for as many as eight clubs over the course of his senior career after graduating from Blackburn Rovers' academy in 2012. The list includes Fleetwood Town, Chesterfield, Tranmere Rovers, Morecambe, Plymouth Argyle and Blackpool.
Ryan Edwards spent the last three seasons with Dundee United in Scotland's top-flight, the Premiership. Capable of operating as a centre-back or right-back, he played 112 times for the team across those campaigns, appearing prominently in their starting XI.
Edwards also chipped in with a commendable eight goals and four assists before leaving Dundee to become a free agent this summer.
Ryan Edwards went up against Chennaiyin FC's Connor Shields last season
Ryan Edwards and Connor Shields look set to share the pitch as teammates for Chennaiyin FC during the 2023-24 ISL season. Interestingly, they faced off against each other last season in the Scottish Premiership.
Shields joined Motherwell FC ahead of the 2022-23 season and was a substitute for their league match against Edwards' Dundee United in September last year. The latter captained his side to a 0-0 draw, while Shields settled for a cameo appearance after coming off the bench in the 85th minute.
In January, Motherwell loaned Shields to Queen's Park FC in the Scottish second tier, where he played under current Chennaiyin coach Owen Coyle. Under Coyle, the 26-year-old scored three times and assisted twice in 16 matches.