# Jayden Lienou
**Jayden Lienou** (born 2008) is a professional footballer who plays as a defender, principally left-back, for Premier League club Leeds United and represents Wales internationally.[1](https://www.transfermarkt.com/jayden-lienou/profil/spieler/1122308) Born in Wigan, England, to a Cameroonian father and a Welsh mother, he came through the academies of Everton and Manchester City before joining Leeds United in 2025, and in May 2026 he received his first call-up to the Wales senior national team.[2](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c5y7ezgqzelo)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Position | Defender, main position left-back; left-footed[1](https://www.transfermarkt.com/jayden-lienou/profil/spieler/1122308) |
| Club | Leeds United, squad number 65; contract expires 30 June 2028[1](https://www.transfermarkt.com/jayden-lienou/profil/spieler/1122308) |
| International eligibility | Wales, England, and Cameroon; father Cameroonian, mother English[1](https://www.transfermarkt.com/jayden-lienou/profil/spieler/1122308) |
| Senior call-up | First Wales senior squad, 31 May 2026[2](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c5y7ezgqzelo) |
## Club career
Transfermarkt's record differs on the dates, listing Liverpool among his youth clubs, Everton to 2024, and Manchester City from 2024 to 2025.[1](https://www.transfermarkt.com/jayden-lienou/profil/spieler/1122308)
In 2025 he joined the Leeds United academy on a three-year deal running to 2028, and Soccerbase records his registration with Leeds U21 from 10 July 2025 on a youth (free-transfer) basis.[2](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c5y7ezgqzelo) • [3](https://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=209742) In the 2025-26 season he played 19 matches in Premier League 2, all starts, totaling 1,645 minutes with 2 assists and 4 yellow cards.[4](https://fbref.com/en/players/2444cd03/Jayden-Lienou) BeSoccer credits him with 24 U21 appearances and one U18 appearance in the same season, about 2,100 minutes in total.[5](https://www.besoccer.com/player/career-path/j-lienou-3407448)
In May 2026 he made a Leeds match day squad for the first time, for the Premier League fixture against [Tottenham](https://www.edgepedia.org/tottenham), though he had not yet made a senior league appearance as of 31 May 2026.[4](https://fbref.com/en/players/2444cd03/Jayden-Lienou) His senior competitive appearance record at that point consisted of [EFL Trophy](https://www.edgepedia.org/efl-trophy) games for Leeds U21, including a 4-2 defeat by Oldham on 13 October 2026.[3](https://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=209742)
## International career
BeSoccer's match-level data shows his 2026 U19 appearances included two matches at the [UEFA European Under-19 Championship](https://www.edgepedia.org/uefa-european-under-19-championship).[5](https://www.besoccer.com/player/career-path/j-lienou-3407448)
On 31 May 2026 he received his maiden call-up to the Wales senior national team. The Football Association of Wales did not say whether he was replacing anybody in the squad when it announced the call-up.[2](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c5y7ezgqzelo) Through his family background he was also eligible to play for England and Cameroon.[1](https://www.transfermarkt.com/jayden-lienou/profil/spieler/1122308)
## Playing style
Lienou is a left-footed defender whose main position is left-back.[1](https://www.transfermarkt.com/jayden-lienou/profil/spieler/1122308)
## References
1. [Jayden Lienou, Transfermarkt player profile](https://www.transfermarkt.com/jayden-lienou/profil/spieler/1122308)
2. [Jayden Lienou: Wales call up teenage Leeds United left-back, BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c5y7ezgqzelo)
3. [Jayden Lienou, Soccerbase](https://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=209742)
4. [Jayden Lienou, FBref](https://fbref.com/en/players/2444cd03/Jayden-Lienou)
5. [Jayden Lienou career path, BeSoccer](https://www.besoccer.com/player/career-path/j-lienou-3407448)
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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) › Welsh footballers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 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