Blackpool have announced the departure of defender Dom Thompson.

The 23-year-old has left the Seasiders by mutual consent after an agreement was reached to terminate the remaining six months of his Bloomfield Road contract.

The former Brentford defender - who cost the Bees £1m when he made the switch across London from Arsenal in 2019 - made 52 appearances for the club following his move to the Fylde Coast in 2022 for an undisclosed fee.

The majority of those games came during his first season at the club, with the left-back featuring 30 times as Blackpool were relegated from the Championship. Yet Thompson’s Seasiders career stalled after that, with the Londoner spending the second half of last season on loan at League Two Forest Green Rovers.

This term, Thompson featured just nine times for the club - three of which came in the league - before the decision was taken to cut short his time at Bloomfield Road.

Confirming the news. a statement on the Blackpool website read: ‘Blackpool Football Club can announce Dom Thompson's contract has been terminated by mutual consent, allowing him to pursue an opportunity elsewhere.

‘Thompson arrived ahead of the 2022/23 campaign, making 28 Championship appearances for the Pool. The 23-year-old played more than 50 times for the Seasiders during his three years at the Club, including nine this season across four different competitions.

‘The Club would like to thank Dom for all of his efforts, and wishes him well for the future.’

Thompson departure no surprise

Speaking to the Gazette on Thursday, boss Steve Bruce admitted talks had taken place with the defender and his representatives about an exit this month.

“Dom trains every day as if it’s his last. He’s unfortunate that we’ve got a lot of talent in that area - that’s why Zac (Ashworth) went out,’ the head coach explained.

‘He’s out of contract, and it’s fair to say he needs to find a new home because it’s not happened for him here.

“I can say that, because I’ve had the same conversation with him, so let’s see what happens in the next few days and we’ll go from there.

“We’re trying to find the right solution, and if there’s anything that can be done then we’ll do it.”

Thompson becomes the sixth Blackpool player to leave the club in January, following the exits of Elliot Embleton (Carlisle United), Kyle Joseph (Hull City), Ollie Norburn (Wigan), Zac Ashworth (Ross County) and Alex Lankshear (Ebbsfleet).

Blackpool sit 15th in the League One table heading into their game at Exeter City on Saturday.