Stockport County can confirm that Ibby Touray and Will Collar will both depart Edgeley Park this summer following the expiration of their contracts.
Midfielder Collar departs as one of County’s great modern-day servants, spending five seasons in SK3, clocking up 172 appearances and winning two league titles during his time at Edgeley Park.
Will joined the Club in February 2021 on a free transfer from Scottish side, Hamilton Academical. Originally signed as a defensive midfielder, Will’s game was transformed under manager Dave Challinor as he went on to become one of the best goal-scoring midfielders Edgeley Park has seen in many years.
His runs from deep, arriving late in the penalty area to find the back of the net, were a hallmark of our National League title-winning season, with Will registering 11 goals and ten assists as we returned to the EFL for the first time in 12 years.
He continued to show his ruthless eye for goal in the club’s first season back in League Two, scoring 13 times in 47 appearances as we fell agonisingly short of back-to-back promotions, losing to Carlisle in the League Two Play-Off Final.
Despite an injury-hit 2023/24 season as we secured the league title, Will returned to form and fitness this season, chipping in with nine more goals as we narrowly missed out on promotion to the Championship.
Club CEO, Simon Wilson said:
“What can you say about Will Collar? Our fans said they would pay a million dollars, and he’s certainly been worth a million dollars to the Club during this period. A fantastic signing – his goals and his performances in his time with us have been so instrumental to the success that we’ve had.
“He’s played in three great County teams, and been a key part of all of them. So much of the credit has to go to Will. He came to the Club on a short-term deal looking to restart his career – he got himself into fantastic physical condition, mitigating many of his small injuries up until that point, to become a consistent performer for the team. He also evolved from a versatile defensive player to a free-running attacking player.
“He’s been fantastic for us, and I hope we’ve also been a brilliant platform for him. He leaves now with an unbelievable body of work behind him, taking that into his next opportunity. He is rightly a man in demand, and we have had to respect that the decision around his next move has to be in the best interest of himself and his family. We will miss him greatly and hope to see him back at Edgeley Park again in the future – he will always be welcome.”
Former Salford City captain Touray joined County on a free transfer from The Ammies in the Summer of 2023, going on to win the League Two title in his first season with the Club – the third promotion of his playing career.
He made 88 appearances for County across his two years at Edgeley Park, 50 of which came during the 2024/25 campaign as Dave Challinor’s side secured their highest league finish in 23 years, narrowly missing out on promotion to the Championship. Only Kyle Wootton and Tanto Olaofe made more appearances for The Hatters last season.
He also made Club history in 2024, becoming the first ever Stockport County player to represent their national team at a major international tournament when he was called up by Gambia for the African Cup of Nations.
With his time in SK3 now at an end, we’d like to thank Ibby for his contribution to the Club’s considerable progress during his time with us. He departs as one of a very select group of players to have won an EFL title with County, and we wish him all the best in the next chapter of his career.
Club CEO, Simon Wilson said:
“Ibby’s been a fantastic player for us over the last two years. We’ve had two successful seasons as a Club and Ibby has been available for selection for nearly all of that time, playing a number of roles in the team, be it left-sided centre-back, left-back or wing-back.
“In addition to his achievements on the pitch, he’s been a member of our senior leadership group, continuing the development of our culture and role-modelling many of the behaviours that we look for. We were very proud to see him represent County as part of the African Cup of Nations last year with Gambia.”
“We offered Ibby an opportunity to stay at the Club, however, as a free agent this Summer he was rightly afforded a lot of options and wanted to explore the market. It’s unfortunate news for us that he leaves, but I’m delighted to see that he continues his superb career and we wish him all the best for the future.”
