Crewe Alexandra

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Crewe Alexandra have made a double signing, bringing in Celtic midfielder Kyle Ure on loan, hours after agreeing a similar deal with Brentford defender Josh Stephenson.

Ure, 20, is yet to make a first-team breakthrough at Parkhead, but he did spend the 2025-26 season out on loan at Scottish Championship side Aye United, making 18 appearances.

He will spend the season with the Alex and is the second Celtic midfielder to leave for an English club in the past week, following Arne Engels' record-breaking move to West Ham.

Left-back Stephenson, also 20, has joined Crewe on loan from the Premier League Bees until January 2027.

The former Millwall academy graduate was promoted to Brentford's first-team squad this summer and will now develop his senior experience at the Mornflake Stadium.

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Stephenson, who can also play at centre-back, was named in three Premier League matchday squads and two in the FA Cup for Brentford's first team last term, but is yet to make a senior appearance.

Ure and Stephenson follow the signings of strikers Jordan Gibson and Sheffield Wednesday loan man Charlie McNeill, centre-back Luke Offord and fellow midfielder Joe White this summer.

Both are in contention to make debuts in Saturday's League Two game against Northampton Town.

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Crewe Alexandra manager Lee Bell said their opening-day win at Crawley was further proof that his young side can stand up to the physical demands of League Two and cannot be "bullied" in games.

The Alex have a long-standing tradition of blooding young players which, Lee said, has led to a perception that they are a soft touch.

But their hard-fought 2-1 win on Saturday, with seven players aged 23 or under involved, was the latest example of that myth being busted.

"There used to be an old saying of coming to Crewe and we'll get on top of them and we'll try to bully them, and a bunch of kids, and all this but not this group," Lee told BBC Radio Stoke.

"They'll stand up to what's thrown at them and then I think we've got some ability out there to be able to then control games.

"I hope it's gone away [the perception]. I've worked hard to try to get rid of that label for the last few years because there has been times in the past when teams come with a bit more physicality and we were right up there defending for the size of our team in terms of set-pieces but they have to be able to compete.

"If you can win your duels inside your box [it] nullifies something like 85% of the attacks so it's really, really important that we puff our chests out and we give as good as what we get."

As pleased as Lee was with the three points at Crawley, he was keen to see it in the context of it being the first game of the season.

"It's a good start and that's all it is in terms of the results," he said.

"We want to see a little bit more control in terms of how we want to play. We do like to get in behind the opposition but we're doing it from the wrong areas of the pitch so we've got to build the ball up a little bit more."

Lee added how much work-rate is key to their plans.

"The players that have come through in the last couple years know me know and what what I'm about, what I demand in terms of what they have to do out of possession and winning duels. So I've been quite lucky in that sense.

"You've got to be an exceptional player every week to not compete and work hard for your team-mates because the best teams do in the division."

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Crewe Alexandra have brought in striker Charlie McNeill on a season-long loan from Sheffield Wednesday, bringing their number of summer signings to four.

The former Manchester United forward, 22, has been with the Owls for the past two seasons, scoring six goals in 48 appearances.

After starting in Manchester City's youth system and then spending two years in United's academy, McNeill made his first-team debut in a Europa League game in September 2022 against Real Sociedad.

He joins striker Jordan Gibson, centre-back Luke Offord and midfielder Joe White at the Mornflake Stadium for the start of the new League Two season, which begins on Saturday, at Crawley Town [15:00 BST].

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Eastleigh have signed winger Dion Rankine on loan from Crewe Alexandra until January.

The 23-year-old made 15 appearances for Crewe in all competitions last season and has also had spells with Exeter City and Wigan Athletic.

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Crewe Alexandra defender Lewis Billington said he has been working a lot on developing his game to become a more complete player as he aims to build on last season's positives.

The 22-year-old started every League Two match for the Alex last term and recently signed a new three-year contract to extend his career-long association with the club that started when he was six.

He has clocked up 113 appearances across four campaigns and told BBC Radio Stoke he has spent the summer thinking about how he takes his game to the next level.

"I have thought about this in the last few weeks and I think I understand the game a lot better than I did even this time last season," he said.

"So that probably helps with experience and talking to others on the pitch and off it.

"My general understanding in different positions has developed over the last few years.

"I thought about how the season went and what I could do better and what I did well how you can get better."

Billington made his debut aged 18 in April 2022 - an occasion he felt he "probably wasn't ready for" - but said the FA Cup ties against Derby County 19 months later "felt right, like I deserved to be there".

He has been challenged this summer by Crewe's player development manager Kenny Lunt to become the best right-back in League Two and Billington knows he still needs to add more dimensions to his role.

"If I could match the games and minutes played [last season] then that would be fantastic - or just adding that threat going forward," Billington said.

"Whether it's a goal, or assist, or even just helping build moves and then on the other side of it doing my job and defending a little bit better, whether that's 1v1s or as a unit in general."

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Crewe Alexandra's player development manager Kenny Lunt says Lewis Billington should be challenging himself to prove he is the "best right-back in the league" now he is staying at the club.

The 22-year-old has extended his long association with the Alex by signing a new three-year contract, keeping him at the club until the end of the 2028-29 season.

Billington was one of only two players to start every game in League Two last term, and only twice failed to play the full 90 minutes.

Lunt said the defender's new deal was excellent news.

"He plays every minute. He's done really well and he's another one who's come on miles, leaps and bounds, and if he keeps developing, hopefully he'll play a lot more for this football club and hopefully one day we can sell him on for quite a lot of money," he told BBC Radio Stoke.

"He could add a goal or two from set-pieces, more assists, stopping more crosses, but he's doing ever so well."

Lunt added that if Billington can do that, he will have "more options" over where his future career takes him.

"The way he's going, the more clubs keep looking. He can't stand still, he knows that. He knows you need to keep on improving and he's got a lot of improving still to do.

"He's obviously being consistent, but can he be consistently the best right-back in our league? - so he gets that move he's after one day."

Lunt also gave an update on the club's search for more signings before the start of the season.

With three new players already in - striker Jordan Gibson, centre-back Luke Offord and midfielder Joe White - Lunt said they are looking at strengthening more areas.

"I think anyone can see with the number of centre-forwards last year, maybe we could have another striker option, another centre-half, maybe, and another left-back for some competition for Reece [Hutchinson]," he said.

"Everything's close all the time, but everything's still a few miles away. We'd like to have more numbers in the squad and if we can get another few more bodies through the door, I'm sure it will be in a good place."

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Crewe Alexandra defender Lewis Billington has signed a new three-year contract with the League Two club.

Billington, 22, has been with the Railwaymen since he was six years old and has made more than 100 appearances for the first team.

He had been considering the club's offer of a new deal since the end of last season but will now stay on at the Mornflake Stadium into a sixth senior season.

Billington joins strikers Adrien Thibaut, Josh March and Fin Roberts and midfielders Luca Moore and Conor Thomas in signing new deals with Crewe this summer.

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Midfielder Luca Moore has signed a new two-year contract with Crewe Alexandra.

Moore was part of the youth set-up at Birmingham City before joining The Railwaymen where he has made 11 first-team appearances.

The 20-year-old made his senior debut in the EFL Trophy in October 2024 before his Football League bow in February last year.

He joins strikers Adrien Thibaut and Josh March and midfielder Conor Thomas in penning new deals with Crewe this summer.

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Crewe Alexandra have signed midfielder Joe White from Premier League Newcastle United on a two-year contract.

The 23-year-old had a previous loan spell with the Alex in the first half of the 2023-24 season, when he scored three goals in 25 games.

Since then, White has had further temporary stints in the English Football League with MK Dons, Leyton Orient and Bradford City.

He has been with the Magpies his whole career and made four Premier League appearances as a substitute in April 2024, having come through through the club's Under-21 side.

White is the third new player to join boss Lee Bell's squad for the new season after returning captain Luke Offord and striker Jordan Gibson.