# Josh Wright
**Josh Wright** (Joshua Thomas Wright, born 1989 in London) is an English professional footballer and manager who plays as a central midfielder for Ebbsfleet United of the National League South, the sixth tier of English football, and currently also works as the club's manager.[1](https://www.transfermarkt.com/josh-wright/profil/spieler/55898) He is the younger brother of Mark Wright, the retired footballer and reality television personality.[1](https://www.transfermarkt.com/josh-wright/profil/spieler/55898)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name / born | Joshua Thomas Wright, 1989, London, England[1](https://www.transfermarkt.com/josh-wright/profil/spieler/55898) |
| Position | Central midfield (also defensive midfield and right midfield); right-footed[1](https://www.transfermarkt.com/josh-wright/profil/spieler/55898) |
| Current club | Ebbsfleet United, joined 1 July 2022; National League South[1](https://www.transfermarkt.com/josh-wright/profil/spieler/55898) |
| League career totals | 404 league appearances (54 as substitute) and 33 league goals, plus 39 cup and other appearances, per Soccerbase[2](https://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=47198) |
| Clubs | Charlton Athletic, Barnet, Brentford, Gillingham, Scunthorpe United, Millwall, Leyton Orient, Southend United, Bradford City, Crawley Town, Billericay Town, Ebbsfleet United[2](https://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=47198) |
| International | England U19, 1 cap[1](https://www.transfermarkt.com/josh-wright/profil/spieler/55898) |
| Family | Brother of Mark Wright; his family became known through the reality show The Only Way is Essex[3](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11719/9906817/former-millwall-midfielder-josh-wright-discusses-life-as-free-agent-during-pre-season) |
## Early career at Charlton
Wright began his professional career with Charlton Athletic in 2007, where manager [Alan Pardew](https://www.edgepedia.org/alan-pardew) fast-tracked him into first-team training at the age of 16 among a group of academy prospects that also included the future [Bournemouth](https://www.edgepedia.org/bournemouth) midfielder [Harry Arter](https://www.edgepedia.org/harry-arter).[3](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11719/9906817/former-millwall-midfielder-josh-wright-discusses-life-as-free-agent-during-pre-season) Loan spells with Barnet (31 league appearances and one goal in 2007-08), Brentford, and Gillingham followed, and he represented England at U-17, U-18, and U-19 level.[2](https://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=47198) • [3](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11719/9906817/former-millwall-midfielder-josh-wright-discusses-life-as-free-agent-during-pre-season) He made only two league appearances for Charlton before moving to Scunthorpe United in July 2009.[2](https://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=47198)
## EFL career
Wright spent two seasons at [Scunthorpe](https://www.edgepedia.org/scunthorpe), then joined Millwall on a free transfer in November 2011, where he played in the Championship.[2](https://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=47198) • [3](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11719/9906817/former-millwall-midfielder-josh-wright-discusses-life-as-free-agent-during-pre-season) His time at Millwall included three separate loan spells at Leyton Orient during 2013-15 before he joined Orient, then in the 2015 close season he left the club and spent the pre-season as a free agent, training alone in gyms and parks while negotiating with interested clubs from the Championship and League One.[2](https://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=47198) • [3](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11719/9906817/former-millwall-midfielder-josh-wright-discusses-life-as-free-agent-during-pre-season)
**Gillingham and later EFL moves.** Wright signed for Gillingham in August 2015 and became club captain, in a season in which his shooting accuracy more than doubled compared with the previous season and he trebled his number of shots on target.[2](https://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=47198) • [4](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/10826995/josh-wright-interview-the-stats-behind-gillingham-captains-superb-season) He later had spells at Southend United, Bradford City, and a further period at Leyton Orient from June 2019, before Crawley Town re-signed him in January 2021 following his exit from Orient; by that point the BBC counted 31 goals in 417 senior appearances across 10 clubs, including four separate spells with Orient.[2](https://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=47198) • [5](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/55596603) At Crawley he linked up with his brother Mark, who had also re-signed for the club in December 2020.[5](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/55596603)
## Ebbsfleet United
After a brief spell at Billericay Town in 2021-22, Wright returned to the full-time game with Ebbsfleet United on 1 July 2022.[2](https://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=47198) • [6](https://ebbsfleetunited.co.uk/wright-here-right-now/) In his first season an injury sustained at Oxford City in September ruled him out until January, but he still made 25 appearances on the way to a National League South title winners' medal as Ebbsfleet finished first.[6](https://ebbsfleetunited.co.uk/wright-here-right-now/) • [9](https://ebbsfleetunited.co.uk/fleets-wright-hand-man-stays-for-third-season/) He scored his first Ebbsfleet goals in Kent derby matches at Tonbridge and Welling and featured high in the club's assists charts.[6](https://ebbsfleetunited.co.uk/wright-here-right-now/) Soccerbase records 65 league appearances and 4 goals for Ebbsfleet between July 2022 and May 2025.[2](https://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=47198) Transfermarkt lists him as currently working as Ebbsfleet's manager while remaining a registered player, and in October 2026 he was quoted saying "I'm absolutely Ebbsfleet manager."
## Public profile
Wright's family became widely known through the reality television show The Only Way is Essex, and he said in a 2015 [Sky Sports](https://www.edgepedia.org/sky-sports) interview that the association led some people in football to pre-judge him, though he never considered joining the show.[3](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11719/9906817/former-millwall-midfielder-josh-wright-discusses-life-as-free-agent-during-pre-season) His father, Mark Wright Sr., acted as his agent in contract negotiations.[3](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11719/9906817/former-millwall-midfielder-josh-wright-discusses-life-as-free-agent-during-pre-season)
## Physical data
Sources disagree on his height: Transfermarkt and Sofascore list 1.85 m, while the Premier League's player page lists 175 cm and Soccerbase 1.70 m.[1](https://www.transfermarkt.com/josh-wright/profil/spieler/55898) • [7](https://www.premierleague.com/players/9148/Josh-Wright/overview) • [2](https://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=47198) SportBaseline gives a peak market value of €300,000 in 2009 and career totals of 556 appearances, 36 goals, and 26 assists across all competitions.[8](https://sportbaseline.com/player/josh-wright-55898)
## References
1. [Josh Wright, player profile, Transfermarkt](https://www.transfermarkt.com/josh-wright/profil/spieler/55898)
2. [Josh Wright, Football Stats, Soccerbase](https://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=47198)
3. [Former Charlton and Millwall midfielder Josh Wright discusses life as a free agent during pre-season, Sky Sports (9 July 2015)](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11719/9906817/former-millwall-midfielder-josh-wright-discusses-life-as-free-agent-during-pre-season)
4. [Josh Wright interview: The stats behind Gillingham captain's superb season, Sky Sports](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/10826995/josh-wright-interview-the-stats-behind-gillingham-captains-superb-season)
5. [Josh Wright: Crawley re-sign midfielder following his exit from Leyton Orient, BBC Sport (January 2021)](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/55596603)
6. [Wright here, right now, Ebbsfleet United official website (31 May 2023)](https://ebbsfleetunited.co.uk/wright-here-right-now/)
7. [Josh Wright, Ebbsfleet United Midfielder, Profile & Stats, Premier League](https://www.premierleague.com/players/9148/Josh-Wright/overview)
8. [Josh Wright, Profile, Stats, Transfers, SportBaseline](https://sportbaseline.com/player/josh-wright-55898)
9. [Fleet’s Wright-hand man stays for third season, Ebbsfleet United Football Club, Official Website of the Fleet](https://ebbsfleetunited.co.uk/fleets-wright-hand-man-stays-for-third-season/)
---
*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 › Central and defensive midfielders*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 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