Ex-Preston North End man signs for new club and will face Lilywhites in Carabao Cup
The forward moved on from Derby County this summer
Barrow have signed ex-Preston North End winger Tom Barkhuizen on a two-year deal.
The 32-year-old - who spoke to the Lancashire Post this summer about his time at Deepdale - was a free agent after leaving Derby County.
He has now joined the sixth club of his career, and will face PNE in the first round of the Carabao Cup - Paul Heckingbottom’s side head to Holker Street on August 9.
On the move, he Barkhuizen said: “It’s been a pretty long summer and I’ve had to play a bit of a waiting game, but I’m happy to finally get something over the line and I’m ready to go this weekend.
“It’s the first time I’ve really been in this position. Once the offer came in, the club were really keen to bring me in and at this point in my career, it’s nice to have that. I came to see the manager and he was really enthusiastic about bringing me on board.
“I got the feel it was the right environment I wanted to be a part of. I want to win, the gaffer wants to win and the club is on the up. I would like to think I’m ready to play a part straight away, which will be nice.”
The wide man joined Preston on a pre-contract agreement in November 2016. He went on to make 209 appearances for the club, scoring 38 goals and assisting 21.
On the prospect of playing against his old club in the cup, Barkhuizen said: “I don’t think I’ve actually played Preston since I left, so that will be interesting. It will be good to see a few people that I still know there. We’ve got a big first game on Saturday, as well.”
The former Morecambe, Fleetwood and Blackpool man signed for Derby, on a free, in the summer of 2022 - and he won promotion from League One in his first year there. His overall record in a Rams shirt was 14 goals and 11 assists in 113 outings.
Head coach Andy Whing said: “We’re really excited to be able to bring in someone of Tom’s quality. He’s had a fantastic career to date at a higher level, and he’s as ambitious as we are to help move the club forward.
“Tom can play in a number of forward positions and gives us something different with his directness and eye for goal.”
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