Shrewsbury terminate Carl Winchester's contract to allow him to return to Northern Ireland
Shrewsbury Town have terminated Carl Winchester's contract for personal and family reasons to allow him to return to Northern Ireland and sign for Derry City.
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In a club statement, Salop confirmed they had 'consented' to a request from Winchester asking if he could return home.
It read: "The chairman and board of directors at Shrewsbury Town have consented to a request from Carl Winchester to terminate his contract for personal and family reasons – with the midfielder now returning home to Northern Ireland to sign for Derry City."
It first came to light last week that there was interest in the experienced tough-tackling midfielder with the 31-year-old being open to the move.
Winchester told the Shropshire Star after the 1-0 defeat at Leyton Orient he had been struggling with living away from home. He said he had found being away from his partner and his young daughter more challenging this season than ever before - they live in Northern Ireland.
Winchester arrived in Shropshire for the first time back in 2022 when he was signed on loan by Steve Cotterill for the campaign from Sunderland.
In his debut season, the former Cheltenham and Oldham man made 43 appearances across all competitions as Shrewsbury finished 12th in League One - their second-highest finish this century.
When Matt Taylor was appointed as head coach in the summer of 2023 he brought Winchester back to the club as his first signing as boss - he secured a two-year deal in Shropshire.
In his second season, Shrewsbury managed to secure League One survival as they drew at Charlton on the penultimate day of the campaign.
With Paul Hurst in charge of the Shropshire club last summer he named Winchester club captain ahead of their 2024/25 curtain-raiser against Stevenage.
He scored his first and only goal for Town this season, as he fired in from range against Peterborough at the Croud Meadow.
All told, he made 112 for Salop over his three-year stint in Shropshire and was an incredibly popular figure amongst his team-mates.
Just over two weeks ago, Winchester made his 500th professional career appearance in the loss at Orient in east London.
The Northern Irishman leaves the club with their blessing as Town are understood to be sympathetic to his circumstances.
