Midfielder Tom Whelan makes surprise departure from Chesterfield

The Derbyshire Times understands it is a decison which suits both the club and player from a football perspective.

The 25-year-old only signed for the Spireites in December from Weymouth for a small fee and was one of the standout performers in the first half of the season.

Whelan finished as the club’s third top scorer with five goals in 27 league appearances and was a favourite with the Town fanbase.

The attacking midfielder did not feature much in the latter part of the campaign, starting just one of the last 10 matches.

Last week manager James Rowe spoke about the need to ‘balance the books’ after making five new summer signings and hinted at some possible surprise departures.

"Some of the players that may have to leave have had good seasons or a good six or seven months under me,” Rowe said.