Zechariah Joshua Henry Medley (born 9 July 2000) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for EFL League Two club Fleetwood Town.

Zech Medley
Personal information
Full name Zechariah Joshua Henry Medley[1]
Date of birth (2000-07-09) 9 July 2000 (age 24)[2]
Place of birth Greenwich, England
Height 6 ft 5 in (1.95 m)[2]
Position(s) Centre-back
Team information
Current team
Fleetwood Town
Number 3
Youth career
2008–2016 Chelsea
2016–2018 Arsenal
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018–2021 Arsenal 0 (0)
2020–2021Gillingham (loan) 12 (0)
2021Kilmarnock (loan) 8 (1)
2021–2024 KV Oostende 58 (3)
2024– Fleetwood Town 0 (0)
International career
2015–2016 England U16 8 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 12 May 2024

Club career

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Born in Greenwich, Greater London, Medley joined the youth academy at Chelsea when he was eight years old.[3]

Arsenal

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Upon leaving Chelsea, he joined the youth academy at Arsenal in December 2016.[4] He captained the Arsenal under-18's at the beginning of the 2017–18 season before moving to the under-23 side.[3]

On 22 October 2018, Medley appeared on the bench for the Arsenal senior side for the first time in a Premier League match against Leicester City.[5] A month later, on 29 November, Medley made his senior competitive debut for Arsenal in the Europa League against Vorskla Poltava, coming on as a 60th-minute substitute for Rob Holding.[6]

Loan spells

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Medley had joined League One club Gillingham on a season-long loan on 10 August 2020, becoming their fourth signing of the summer.[7] On 5 September, he made his debut in a 1–0 win against Southend United in the EFL Cup.[8] He made a total of 18 appearances for the club before he was recalled on 1 February 2021.[9] He immediately joined Scottish Premiership side Kilmarnock on loan until the end of the season.[10] On 6 February, he made his debut in a 2–0 loss against St Mirren in the Scottish Premiership.[11] On 27 February, he scored his first goal for Kilmarnock in a 1–1 draw against Dundee United in the Scottish Premiership.[12][13]

KV Oostende

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On 21 June 2021, Medley joined Belgian First Division A side KV Oostende on a permanent deal, signing a four-year contract with the option of an additional year.[14]

Fleetwood Town

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On 2 July 2024, Medley returned to England, signing for League Two club Fleetwood Town on a two-year deal.[15]

International career

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Born in England, Medley is of Jamaican descent.[16] He is a youth international for England.[17]

Career statistics

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As of end of 2023–24 season[18][19]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup League cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Arsenal 2018–19[20] Premier League 0 0 1 0 0 0 2[a] 0 3[b] 0 6 0
2019–20[21] Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2[b] 0 2 0
2020–21[22] Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 5 0 8 0
Gillingham (loan) 2020–21[22] League One 12 0 0 0 2 0 4 0 18 0
Kilmarnock (loan) 2020–21[22] Scottish Premiership 8 1 2 0 0 0 10 1
KV Oostende 2021–22[18] Belgian Pro League 18 1 2 0 20 1
2022–23[18] Belgian Pro League 15 1 1 0 16 1
2023–24[18] Challenger Pro League 25 1 5 0 30 1
Total 58 3 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 66 3
Career total 78 4 11 0 2 0 2 0 9 0 102 4
  1. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  2. ^ a b Appearances in EFL Trophy

References

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  1. ^ "2020/21 Premier League squads confirmed". Premier League. 20 October 2020. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Zech Medley: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  3. ^ a b Wilson, Andy (22 October 2018). "Zech Medley: Who is the academy star on the Arsenal bench tonight? Where does he play?". Express. Retrieved 29 November 2018.
  4. ^ "Zech Medley joins Arsenal after successful trial – where does he fit?". Daily Cannon. 7 December 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2018.
  5. ^ "Arsenal 3-1 Leicester City". Soccerway.
  6. ^ "Vorskla vs Arsenal". Soccerway.
  7. ^ "Promising Arsenal youngster is one of our own". Gillingham Football Club. 10 August 2020. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  8. ^ "Report | Gillingham 1-0 Southend United". www.gillinghamfootballclub.com. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  9. ^ "Medley recalled by Arsenal and signs for Kilmarnock on loan". www.gillinghamfootballclub.com. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  10. ^ "Zech Medley signs load deal from Arsenal". kilmarnockfc.co.uk. 1 February 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  11. ^ "St Mirren 2-0 Kilmarnock: Hosts pile on misery for managerless Kilmarnock". Sky Sports. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  12. ^ "Loan Watch: Kolasinac, Medley both on target". www.arsenal.com. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  13. ^ "Kilmarnock 'still have work to do' - Wright". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  14. ^ "KVO HAALT VERDEDIGER VAN ARSENAL" (in Dutch). K.V. Oostende. 21 June 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  15. ^ "Zech Medley added to Town's ranks". www.fleetwoodtownfc.com. 2 July 2024. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
  16. ^ "Arsenal Planning To Offer New Contract To Promising Nigerian Defender:: All Nigeria Soccer - The Complete Nigerian Football Portal". www.allnigeriasoccer.com.
  17. ^ "England under-16s suffer late 4-3 loss against Japan". The Football Association. 27 October 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  18. ^ a b c d Zech Medley at Soccerway
  19. ^ "Zech Medley". Soccerbase. 2 February 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  20. ^ "Games played by Zech Medley in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  21. ^ "Games played by Zech Medley in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  22. ^ a b c "Games played by Zech Medley in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 February 2021.