Barnsley Football Club can confirm that Rudi Pache and Steve Simpson have joined Esbjerg fB on permanent deals.
The duo were originally on loan in Denmark along with fellow Reds Patrick Schmidt, Charlie Winfield and Matty Wolfe having signed earlier this summer.
Defender, Pache, has so far featured four times since arriving at the Blue Water Arena and the club will retain an interest in his future.
Canadian forward, Simpson, originally part of the Reds in the Community Shadow Scholarship programme, has made five appearances while out in Scandinavia and is excited to start his next chapter: “The Shadow Scholarship programme helped me stay in football full-time and then granted me the opportunity to step up to sign a professional deal with Barnsley FC. Of course, I thank everyone at Oakwell who were involved in my journey!”
Barnsley FC Academy Manager, Bobby Hassell, is proud of the steps that the pair are making in the professional game. He said: “Both Steve and Rudi have worked incredibly hard to reach level they are currently at.
“The Club has provided them with a platform to both develop and showcase their talent, now, having impressed in Denmark, they are rewarded with a permanent move to play men’s football at a first division side. With the close relationship that we have with Esbjerg fB, we will continue to monitor their development over the next few years.
“The pathway is there in our academy and I am sure that we will see more young players make a name for themselves at Oakwell in the near future.”
Everyone at Oakwell would like to wish Rudi and Steve the very best of luck.
