Carlisle United have this afternoon announced via club media, that young goalkeeper Gabe Breeze has signed a new three-year deal with the club.
A product of the Cumbrians’ academy, Breeze would make his first professional appearance for the Blues earlier in the season in place of Tomas Holy after the latter’s unconvincing performances in goal. From then, the 21-year-old would go onto make four consecutive appearances for the Blues and did by no means disgrace himself.
Perhaps unfairly, Breeze has been demoted to the bench since mid-January after the arrival of Harry Lewis from Bradford City during the transfer window. Lewis has held down the number one spot ever since his arrival, with the youngster on the bench behind him.
It was unknown whether Breeze would in fact take up a new deal with the club, with negotiations seeming to go on for an extended period of time. He has today however signed a new contract with the club to keep him at Brunton Park until the summer of 2027.
Although he may only have four professional appearances to his name, Breeze has already proved his worth to the Blues. He’s a more than an ample back-up and there will be plenty of healthy competition for the position in the future.
The immediate future for Carlisle may however potentially not be described as ‘healthy’, with it looking likely that Paul Simpson’s side will be playing in League Two next season, just a year after being promoted.
There does however seem to be a long-term plan in place, and Breeze may well contribute to that.
Speaking on the goalkeeper’s new contract, Blues’ boss Paul Simpson would go onto say:
“I’m really pleased. It’s seemed to have dragged on for a while, when really there was no reason for it to.
“I think he’s showed in the games that he played that he’s got real potential about him and he’s earned that right to be second choice at the moment.
“I hope Gabe is going to be with Carlisle United for many years to come and I hope he proves to be a good prospect for us.
“He’s a positive character. This isn’t something you can say about all footballers, he actually knows he’s a really lucky guy to be a professional footballer.”
Writer’s View
Had it not been for the arrival of Harry Lewis, Breeze may well have held down the starting spot for the rest of the season. Although there still some areas for development for the youngster, Carlisle do seem to have a bit of a young star on their hands.
He should be really pushing Lewis next season and despite playing second fiddle, he’ll get opportunities in various cup competitions. Given he came through the academy, the new deal makes sense and Breeze certainly has a bright future.
Senior Editor
