Former Sheffield Wednesday, Brentford and Birmingham City defender to become free agent as release confirmed
A seasoned centre-back, Dean had a spell at Hillsborough during the 2021/22 season after finding himself out of favour at Birmingham City.
He made nine appearances for the Owls, strengthening up Darren Moore’s backline in an ultimately unsuccessful promotion bid.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdAfter leaving Birmingham permanently in 2023, Dean was recruited by Reading and made 39 appearances across two seasons for the Royals.


His contract is set to expire this summer and Reading have confirmed it will not be renewed for the 2025/26 campaign.
He is one of six senior players to have been released and will seek pastures new alongside David Button, Coniah Boyce-Clarke, Adrian Akande, Tom Carroll and Louie Holzman.
Harlee Dean’s love for Sheffield Wednesday
The defender’s time at Hillsborough may have been short but it was definitely sweet.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdSpeaking on the Undr The Cosh podcast in November, Dean said: “That wasn’t being part of a football club at Birmingham. It was just, grind, surviving, whereas Wednesday, I dropped down to League One but we were going for promotion. Enjoyment was back. [The] dressing room was just bouncing.
“It felt like good times were coming. It was enjoyable. We were playing good football. We were dominating games. And they’re a massive club, by they way. When that place [Hillsborough] is rocking, it’s a proper place to play.”


Harlee Dean’s Sheffield United opportunity
In 2017, when Dean was on the books of Brentford, he had a chance to move to the red side of the Steel City.
He said: "I could have gone to Sheffield United, but they'd just come up from League One, so I thought it was a bit of a step backwards.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad“They ended up getting promoted straight away. And [Nottingham] Forest, there wasn't an offer but there were conversations."
Comment Guidelines
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.