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Pete O'Rourke, Transfer Correspondent

Fri 8 August 2025 16:52, UK

Oxford United defender James Golding is signing for Crewe Alexandra on a season long loan, sources have told Football Insider.

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Golding, 20, recently completed a short-term loan spell with National League side Southend United, where he impressed and helped the club reach the play-off final in May.

The centre-back recently penned a new contract at Oxford following his strong showings away from the club, with Gary Rowett initially including him in his pre-season plans.

With the new EFL season already underway and the Championship campaign soon set to kick-off, the U’s have seen fit to allow him to depart to join the Cheshire outfit.

AppearancesAssistsMinutes91475?Golding’s Oxford career stats

Golding joined Oxford in 2020 after spending eight years in AFC Wimbledon’s academy set-up, and he made his first-team debut for the club at 17-years-old in 2021 as he featured in an EFL Trophy win against Tottenham Hotspur’s Under-21 side.

A number of loan spells have followed in the years since his debut, as he initially joined Banbury United but was recalled due to injuries in Oxford’s first-team, then went on to win the club’s young player of the year award at the end of 2021/22 after his breakthrough.

The centre-back temporarily joined Dartford in 2023, then featured for Maidenhead across two separate loan spells, with his decent form in the latter earning him another move to Southend just after the turn of the year.

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Golding made 14 appearances in the second-half of 2024/25 for the Shrimpers, scoring three goals, but a groin injury ruled him out of the final stages of the campaign as Southend just came up short in the play-off final.

He is now set to seal the first EFL loan switch of his career so far, with League Two promotion-hopefuls Crewe due to confirm his arrival shortly.

With Oxford set to allow Golding to leave ahead of their season opener against Portsmouth on Saturday (9 August), they could be eyeing up a move for former Man United defender Brandon Williams to bolster Rowett’s backline.

Football Insider exclusively revealed last month that Besiktas were plotting a move for Williams, with former United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer interested in signing him, but now a move to an English club beckons as he aims to get his career back on track.

Football Insider revealed on Tuesday (5 August) that Williams is being eyed up by a number of teams from the Championship and abroad following his successful trial at Hull City.

Williams has been without a club since leaving Man United in the summer of 2024 following the expiration of his contract at Old Trafford, and the Tigers are keen to offer him a deal but face serious competition for his services.

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