# Kenny Tete
**Kenny Tete** (Kenny Joelle Tete, born 1995 in Amsterdam) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Fulham in the Premier League.[16](https://www.fulhamweb.co.uk/player/752/kenny-tete.aspx) A product of the Ajax academy and a former Netherlands international, he previously played for Ajax and Lyon and joined Fulham on 10 September 2020.[1](https://www.fulhamfc.com/players/kenny-tete/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1995, Amsterdam, Netherlands[16](https://www.fulhamweb.co.uk/player/752/kenny-tete.aspx) |
| Position | Right-back; right-footed, 180 cm[2](https://fbref.com/en/players/77d7c96f/scout/1632/Kenny-Tete-Scouting-Report) • [3](https://www.xgstat.com/players/kenny-tete/analysis/defence) |
| Clubs | Ajax (2013–2017, 31 league appearances), Lyon (2017–2020, 54 league appearances), Fulham (2020–present, 132 appearances)[4](https://theanalyst.com/players/4003/kenny-tete/career) |
| Fulham honors | Championship title 2021–22; scored in the title-clinching 7–0 win over Luton Town[1](https://www.fulhamfc.com/players/kenny-tete/) |
| Premier League | 111 career appearances[5](https://www.statmuse.com/fc/ask/kenny-tete-premier-league-appearances) |
| 2024–25 defensive output | 4.47 combined tackles and interceptions and 1.57 blocks per 90 minutes, team highs among Fulham players with over 600 league minutes[6](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/scouting-report-kenny-tete-everton-070000829.html) |
| International | Netherlands senior debut a day after turning 20, after youth caps up to Under-21[1](https://www.fulhamfc.com/players/kenny-tete/) |
## Ajax
He was scouted at nine, after being rejected at an earlier Talent Day, and has described the selection as the best thing that could have happened to him as a boy.[7](https://english.ajax.nl/articles/tales-from-teams-past-kenny-tete-ajax-made-me-a-man)
He made his senior debut in the 2014/15 season and went on to make 55 appearances for the club, including the run to the 2017 Europa League Final, though he did not play in the final itself.[1](https://www.fulhamfc.com/players/kenny-tete/) • [7](https://english.ajax.nl/articles/tales-from-teams-past-kenny-tete-ajax-made-me-a-man) [Frank de Boer](https://www.edgepedia.org/frank-de-boer) gave him his first-team chances, and under [Peter Bosz](https://www.edgepedia.org/peter-bosz) he became the first-choice right back, with the 2016/17 Europa League campaign among his best years at the club.[7](https://english.ajax.nl/articles/tales-from-teams-past-kenny-tete-ajax-made-me-a-man) In league play he made 31 [Eredivisie](https://www.edgepedia.org/eredivisie) appearances for Ajax, 21 of them in 2015/16.[4](https://theanalyst.com/players/4003/kenny-tete/career)
## Lyon
Tete moved to Lyon in July 2017 for a reported fee of €3 million.[8](https://www.footballeur.fr/joueur/kenny-tete) Across three seasons he made 54 [Ligue 1](https://www.edgepedia.org/ligue-1) appearances, with his heaviest usage in 2017/18 (22 appearances, 1 goal, 4 assists).[4](https://theanalyst.com/players/4003/kenny-tete/career) His final season in France was shortened by the COVID-19 interruption: he made 18 league appearances in 2019/20.[4](https://theanalyst.com/players/4003/kenny-tete/career)
His last competitive matches for the club came in Lyon's 2019–20 [UEFA Champions League](https://www.edgepedia.org/uefa-champions-league) run, in which Lyon beat Juventus over two legs, with Tete featuring in both games, defeated Manchester City 3–1 in the quarter-finals, and lost to eventual winners Bayern Munich in the semi-finals. A 4–1 win on the opening day of the following season proved to be the last of his 82 appearances for Lyon.[1](https://www.fulhamfc.com/players/kenny-tete/)
## Fulham
Fulham signed Tete from Lyon on 10 September 2020 for an undisclosed fee on a four-year contract with an option for a further 12 months.[1](https://www.fulhamfc.com/players/kenny-tete/) Injury disrupted his first season, in which he made 22 Premier League appearances as the club was relegated.[1](https://www.fulhamfc.com/players/kenny-tete/) • [4](https://theanalyst.com/players/4003/kenny-tete/career) In 2021/22 he played an important role in Fulham's Championship title win, scoring a long-range goal in the 7–0 victory over Luton Town that clinched the title.[1](https://www.fulhamfc.com/players/kenny-tete/)
Back in the Premier League, he was part of three consecutive mid-table finishes and agreed a new three-year contract to stay at the club.[1](https://www.fulhamfc.com/players/kenny-tete/) In the summer of 2025, with his contract expiring, he was widely expected to join Everton on a free transfer and had agreed personal terms, but he instead remained at Fulham, making 22 league appearances in 2024–25 and signing an updated contract registered with the Football Association.[9](https://dknews.dz/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/journal-02.07.2025.pdf) • [10](https://westlondonherald.com/codefbfbnshfsecure.pdf) • [11](https://www.thefa.com/-/media/thefacom-new/files/rules-and-regulations/2025-26/01-04-2026/the-fa---football-agent-transactions-2025-2026.ashx) Fulham have since used him and [Timothy Castagne](https://www.edgepedia.org/timothy-castagne) as their principal right-backs.[12](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/transfer/fulham-seek-turkish-super-lig-double-transfer-but-title-chasing-duo-also-attracting-bundesliga-interest)
## Playing style
The data depicts Tete as a right-back who excels defensively but offers little in terms of advancement, relying on his tackling, positional soundness, and ability to win possession instead of taking players on or creating chances.[13](https://theevertonview.substack.com/p/what-the-data-says-about-everton-898) In 2024–25 he won 60.5% of his tackles against dribbling opponents, averaged 4.47 combined tackles and interceptions and 1.57 blocks per 90 minutes, and won 54.2% of his aerial duels, all team highs among Fulham players with more than 600 league minutes.[6](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/scouting-report-kenny-tete-everton-070000829.html) Across two seasons analyzed by one data review, he averaged an elite ball-winning score of 89.6 with 55.1% defensive duels and 59.1% aerial duels won.[13](https://theevertonview.substack.com/p/what-the-data-says-about-everton-898)
On the ball he does not look to run past opponents but rarely loses possession cheaply; in 2024–25 he completed 80.8% of his passes, 91.4% of short passes, and 26.3% of his crosses, and made no errors leading to a shot at goal.[6](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/scouting-report-kenny-tete-everton-070000829.html) At Fulham he has typically been held back to allow left-back [Antonee Robinson](https://www.edgepedia.org/antonee-robinson) to push forward.[6](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/scouting-report-kenny-tete-everton-070000829.html) A BBC comparison against Everton's three most-used full-backs of 2024–25 placed him first among that group in tackles won, interceptions, ball recoveries, and passing accuracy per 90 minutes.[14](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cly8e2510gno)
## Availability and international career
Injury has limited his volume. He has made more than 30 appearances in a league season only once in his career, a record flagged as a concern by analysts, though moves for him have been framed as low-risk because no transfer fee was involved.[14](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cly8e2510gno) When he was injured in December 2024, Fulham had to rely on Timothy Castagne playing through injury.[15](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/fulham-season-preview-202526)
Having represented the Netherlands from youth level up to Under-21, he made his full international debut a day after turning 20.[1](https://www.fulhamfc.com/players/kenny-tete/)
## References
1. [Kenny Tete player profile, Fulham FC](https://www.fulhamfc.com/players/kenny-tete/)
2. [Kenny Tete Scouting Report, FBref](https://fbref.com/en/players/77d7c96f/scout/1632/Kenny-Tete-Scouting-Report)
3. [Kenny Tete defensive duels by zone, xG Stat](https://www.xgstat.com/players/kenny-tete/analysis/defence)
4. [Kenny Tete Career History, Opta Analyst](https://theanalyst.com/players/4003/kenny-tete/career)
5. [Kenny Tete Premier League Appearances, StatMuse](https://www.statmuse.com/fc/ask/kenny-tete-premier-league-appearances)
6. [Scouting Report: Kenny Tete — Everton's Next Right Back?, Yahoo Sports](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/scouting-report-kenny-tete-everton-070000829.html)
7. [Tales from teams past: Kenny Tete, 'Ajax made me a man', AFC Ajax](https://english.ajax.nl/articles/tales-from-teams-past-kenny-tete-ajax-made-me-a-man)
8. [Kenny Tete profile, Footballeur.fr](https://www.footballeur.fr/joueur/kenny-tete)
9. [DK News, 2 July 2025](https://dknews.dz/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/journal-02.07.2025.pdf)
10. [West London Herald, 27 June 2025](https://westlondonherald.com/codefbfbnshfsecure.pdf)
11. [The FA Football Agent Transactions 2025–2026](https://www.thefa.com/-/media/thefacom-new/files/rules-and-regulations/2025-26/01-04-2026/the-fa---football-agent-transactions-2025-2026.ashx)
12. [Fulham seek Turkish Super Lig double transfer, FourFourTwo](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/transfer/fulham-seek-turkish-super-lig-double-transfer-but-title-chasing-duo-also-attracting-bundesliga-interest)
13. [What the Data Says About Everton Target Kenny Tete, The Everton View](https://theevertonview.substack.com/p/what-the-data-says-about-everton-898)
14. [Everton news: Kenny Tete analysis, BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cly8e2510gno)
15. [Fulham Season Preview 2025/26, FourFourTwo](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/fulham-season-preview-202526)
16. [Fulham FC : Kenny Tete - Fulham FC Player Profile, fulhamweb.co.uk](https://www.fulhamweb.co.uk/player/752/kenny-tete.aspx)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › People › Men's footballers of continental Europe › Dutch footballers › Dutch footballers born since 1985*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 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