# James Wright (footballer)
**James Thomas Wright** (born 2004) is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Aston Villa U21, the under-21 side of Premier League club Aston Villa.[1](https://theanalyst.com/players/6168/james-wright) • [2](https://www.premierleague.com/en/players/481283/james-wright/career) He has been named among Aston Villa's first-team substitutes on many occasions since 2023 without yet taking the field in a senior competitive match.[3](https://avdb.co.uk/aston-villa/first-team/player/james-wright)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | James Thomas Wright[1](https://theanalyst.com/players/6168/james-wright) |
| Born | 2004, England[2](https://www.premierleague.com/en/players/481283/james-wright/career) |
| Position | Goalkeeper; right-footed[2](https://www.premierleague.com/en/players/481283/james-wright/career) |
| Height | 1.88 m[4](https://www.11v11.com/players/james-wright-272425/) |
| Youth clubs | Manchester City U18 (2019–2020), Everton U18 (2021), Aston Villa academy from 2021[5](https://www.fotmob.com/en-GB/players/1340673/james-wright) • [3](https://avdb.co.uk/aston-villa/first-team/player/james-wright) |
| Senior career | Aston Villa (from March 2023); Real Unión on loan, August 2024 to June 2025[5](https://www.fotmob.com/en-GB/players/1340673/james-wright) |
| Premier League appearances | 0[2](https://www.premierleague.com/en/players/481283/james-wright/career) |
| Market value | €200k (Transfermarkt, June 2026)[6](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/james-wright/profil/spieler/712181) |
## Youth career
Wright spent time in the youth systems of Manchester City, where he was registered with the under-18 side from September 2019 to December 2020, and Everton, before joining the Aston Villa academy from Manchester City in 2021 at age 16.[5](https://www.fotmob.com/en-GB/players/1340673/james-wright) • [3](https://avdb.co.uk/aston-villa/first-team/player/james-wright) With Manchester City's under-18s he was part of squads that won the [FA Youth Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/fa-youth-cup) and the U18 Premier League Cup in 2019/20.[5](https://www.fotmob.com/en-GB/players/1340673/james-wright)
At Villa he progressed through the under-18 and under-21 teams. In the 2022-23 Premier League 2 season, Division 2, he made 3 starts and played 270 minutes, recording 1 win, 1 draw, 1 loss, and 1 clean sheet.[7](https://fbref.com/en/players/9417a430/James-Wright)
## Aston Villa first team and loan to Real Unión
Wright was selected on Aston Villa's substitutes bench for the first time on 1 April 2023 in a Premier League game at Chelsea.[4](https://www.11v11.com/players/james-wright-272425/) He signed professional terms with the club, joining the U21 setup on 1 July 2023 with a contract extension recorded on 25 January 2024.[6](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/james-wright/profil/spieler/712181)
In August 2024 he moved on loan to Real Unión, a Spanish club, for the 2024-25 season, and FotMob credits him with 33 matches there before returning to Aston Villa U21 in July 2025.[5](https://www.fotmob.com/en-GB/players/1340673/james-wright) • [8](https://www.sofascore.com/football/player/wright-james/1138445)
## Squad role
In Villa's records, Wright is listed as a squad member rather than as a player: a goalkeeper who has repeatedly appeared among the first-team substitutes since 2023 but has still not made an on-field appearance. Of the club's young keepers, he has trained chiefly with the first team and been a regular in Villa's European squads.[3](https://avdb.co.uk/aston-villa/first-team/player/james-wright) In the 2025-26 season he was on the matchday squad for Premier League and Europa League fixtures, including a 0-0 draw against Newcastle in August 2025 and a Europa League league-phase win at Basel in December 2025, without playing.[9](https://fbref.com/en/players/9417a430/matchlogs/2025-2026/keeper/James-Wright-Match-Logs) FotMob lists him as part of the Aston Villa squad that won the 2025/26 Europa League.[5](https://www.fotmob.com/en-GB/players/1340673/james-wright)
His shirt number is recorded as 42 by the Premier League[2](https://www.premierleague.com/en/players/481283/james-wright/career) and as 64 by Sofascore.[8](https://www.sofascore.com/football/player/wright-james/1138445)
## References
1. [James Wright – Profile, Career & Stats, Opta Analyst](https://theanalyst.com/players/6168/james-wright)
2. [James Wright Aston Villa U21 Goalkeeper, Profile & Stats, Premier League](https://www.premierleague.com/en/players/481283/james-wright/career)
3. [James Wright – Player IQ, AVDB](https://avdb.co.uk/aston-villa/first-team/player/james-wright)
4. [James Wright Football Player Statistics, 11v11.com](https://www.11v11.com/players/james-wright-272425/)
5. [James Wright – stats, career and market value, FotMob](https://www.fotmob.com/en-GB/players/1340673/james-wright)
6. [James Wright – Player profile, Transfermarkt](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/james-wright/profil/spieler/712181)
7. [James Wright Stats, FBref](https://fbref.com/en/players/9417a430/James-Wright)
8. [James Wright stats and ratings, Sofascore](https://www.sofascore.com/football/player/wright-james/1138445)
9. [2025-2026 James Wright Match Logs (Goalkeeping), FBref](https://fbref.com/en/players/9417a430/matchlogs/2025-2026/keeper/James-Wright-Match-Logs)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › People › Men's footballers of the British Isles (modern era) › English footballers 2015–present › Goalkeepers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 11, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license