Josh Thomas returns to LOI after Derry City loan confirmed

January 19, 2026

Swansea City striker Josh Thomas has secured a six-month loan transfer to Derry City, confirming his return to the League of Ireland.

The 23-year-old has traversed the Irish Sea once again, having spent the 2025 season on loan at Drogheda United.

Thomas indicated that Derry’s ambition for the upcoming season and the fluid style of play under Tiernan Lynch were major factors in making the move happen.

The striker is under contract with The Swans until 2027, but the next stage of his development will come at the Ryan McBride Brandywell in what is a crucial season for the Candystripes.

Josh Thomas is Derry City’s seventh arrival of a busy pre-season period and there will be significant expectations on the squad as they prepare for a dual assault on the League of Ireland Premier Division, as well as the club’s first foray into Europe in three years.

Thomas told the Derry Journal:

“Obviously, I was at Drogheda last year and, especially when the games come thick and fast, you don’t realise how good the standard is and how physical the league is.

“I think that’s one of the reasons I signed here. The ambition of the club and the ambitions of the gaffer and what he said to me,” added the Bridgend-born player.

“I played against a lot of the lads last year and Derry City is a team you would want to play for when you watch them, they’re easy on the eye.”

Derry City hugely impressed by Josh Thomas

Josh Thomas had been linked with a move to Derry City in recent weeks and now Tiernan Lynch has got his man.

The manager revealed that the striker had impressed him and his coaching staff when they were on opposing sides last season.

Lynch believes Thomas brings something different to his team’s attack and will provide great competition to Liam Boyce and Dipo Akinyemi.

“Josh played against us last year and we were hugely impressed with him, said the former Larne boss.

“He was a centre forward who was probably just as impressive off the ball as he was on the ball. He gave us a tough time during a couple of those games, which caught our eye.

“When we spent a bit of time looking at him and looked at him in possession as well as out of possession, we were hugely impressed, so we’re delighted to get him on board and hopefully we can help him kick on and get back to Swansea and play first team football.”

https://twitter.com/derrycityfc/status/2013259234352234743

That last point is an interesting comment from Tiernan Lynch, given the six-month timeframe on the loan.

It means Thomas will be reassessed in pre-season by Swansea City, at a time when the League of Ireland will be approaching the business end of the season.

Come summertime, the European adventure will just be getting underway, but the Welshman is likely to have returned to his parent club by then.

If he isn’t deemed part of Swansea’s plans for the new campaign, a return to Foyleside could be on the cards, but that is secondary at present.

Thomas sends message to Derry fans

For now, Josh Thomas wants to seize the opportunity in front of him, and that starts with hitting the ground running on Derry City’s pre-season training camp in Malaga.

He said he is ‘buzzing’ to get his Derry adventure underway and he knows what to expect in the League of Ireland.

Last season, Thomas recorded six goals in 17 appearances for Drogheda, but he has sent a message to the Derry fans about what he will bring to the north west club.

“You can expect hard work, that’s the main thing,” he said.

“I think (you can expect) goals as well.

“I’m a striker who works hard and presses from the front and I’ll give my all so that’s what you can expect from me.”

Image credit: derrycityfc/X