Exeter confirm Ed Francis departure, with Ed James joining Torquay on loan
Exeter City midfielder Ed Francis has joined National League side Rochdale on a permanent transfer, while defender Ed James has moved to Torquay United on a one-month loan deal.
DevonLive reports Francis has left Exeter on an undisclosed deal, subject to EFL approval, and has signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Rochdale. The report states Francis joined Exeter in July 2024 and made 64 appearances, scoring three goals and providing seven assists.
Francis said:
“I’m absolutely thrilled. As soon as I heard the interest was there, it was something I wanted to get done.
“It feels like a long time coming, it was two years ago when we first spoke and I believe everything happens for a reason.
“I’ve seen a few familiar faces which is nice and I know it’s going to be exciting.
“Hopefully I can bring a bit of experience to the boys that are already flying.”
In a separate DevonLive report, Torquay United confirmed the loan signing of 21-year-old centre-back Ed James, who joins ahead of their National League South fixture away at Chippenham Town. Torquay manager Paul Wotton said:
“We’ve brought Ed in because of an the injury sustained to Jordan Dyer and we’re a little bit light defensively especially in the centre back area,” he said.