Joshua Ishaele Jacob-Heron Laurent (born 6 May 1995), known as Josh Laurent, is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Stoke City.
![]() Laurent training with Brentford in 2015. | |||
Personal information | |||
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Full name | Joshua Ishaele Jacob-Heron Laurent[1] | ||
Date of birth | (1995-05-06) 6 May 1995 (age 27) | ||
Place of birth | Leytonstone, England[2] | ||
Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[3] | ||
Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
Club information | |||
Current team | Stoke City | ||
Number | 28 | ||
Youth career | |||
Chelsea | |||
Redbridge | |||
0000–2012 | Wycombe Wanderers | ||
2012–2013 | Queens Park Rangers | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2013–2015 | Queens Park Rangers | 0 | (0) |
2014 | → Braintree Town (loan) | 16 | (0) |
2015–2016 | Brentford | 0 | (0) |
2015 | → Newport County (loan) | 3 | (0) |
2016–2017 | Hartlepool United | 28 | (1) |
2017–2018 | Wigan Athletic | 1 | (0) |
2017–2018 | → Bury (loan) | 21 | (1) |
2018–2020 | Shrewsbury Town | 73 | (4) |
2020–2022 | Reading | 86 | (5) |
2022– | Stoke City | 10 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:45, 29 October 2022 (UTC) |
Laurent was born in Leytonstone and attended Beal High School.[4] Laurent began his career in the youth systems at Chelsea, Redbridge (where his father Burt was coach)[5] and Wycombe Wanderers and signed a scholarship deal with the latter club in 2011.[6][7] After a trial with Premier League giants Liverpool,[8]
Laurent moved into the academy at Queens Park Rangers prior to the beginning of the 2012–13 season.[1] made 20 appearances in the youth team's victorious 2012–13 Professional U18 Development League 2 campaign and played the full 90 minutes of the 1–0 win over Huddersfield Town in the final.[9][10] Laurent signed his first professional contract in May 2013, a one-year deal.[11] Laurent continued to play in the Development Squad through the 2013–14 and 2014–15 seasons.
Laurent signed for Conference Premier side Braintree Town on a one-month loan on 17 February 2014.[12] He made the first senior appearance of his career with a start in a 2–2 draw with Kidderminster Harriers five days later.[13] Laurent won praise for his performances from manager Alan Devonshire and remained at Cressing Road for a second month,[14] before departing after his 16th appearance on 12 April.[13]
He departed QPR on 14 January 2015.[2] The departure of Laurent caused a "reaction" at Loftus Road, with the supporters questioning the club's commitment to its younger players.[15] On 23 January, Rangers' Head of Football Operations Les Ferdinand revealed that he had been unable to convince Laurent that there was a pathway from the Development Squad to the first team.[16]
On 14 January 2015, Laurent moved across West London to sign for Championship side Brentford on a one-and-a-half-year Development Squad deal for an undisclosed fee.[2] He made his only first team appearance in the League Cup first round versus Oxford United on 11 August, playing the full 90 minutes of the 4–0 defeat.[17] Laurent failed to feature in another first team squad before his contract was terminated by mutual consent on 1 February 2016.[18] He made 21 appearances and scored five goals for the Development Squad.[18]
Laurent signed for League Two side Newport County on a 28-day youth loan on 19 August 2015,[19] which was later extended to 14 October.[20] He made his debut (the first Football League appearance of his career) as a 74th-minute substitute for Scott Boden in a 3–2 defeat to Leyton Orient three days later.[21] He made his first start for the club on 1 September,[21] playing the opening 73 minutes of the Exiles' shootout defeat to Swindon Town in the Football League Trophy first round.[22] Laurent was left out of incoming manager John Sheridan's first squad on 3 October and was recalled by Brentford five days later,[21][23] having made four appearances.[24]
On 1 February 2016, Laurent joined League Two club Hartlepool United on a free transfer.[25] Laurent scored his first and only goal for the club in a 3–1 defeat to Leyton Orient on 22 October 2016 and remained with the club until February 2017,[26] by which time he had made 33 appearances.[24]
On 1 February 2017, Laurent joined Championship club Wigan Athletic on a 2+1⁄2-year contract for an undisclosed fee.[27] He made just one appearance before the end of the 2016–17 season,[27] at the end of which the Latics were relegated to League One.[28] He scored his first goal for Wigan in a 2–1 EFL Cup win against Blackpool on 8 August 2017.[29]
On 31 August 2017, Bury signed Laurent on loan for the rest of the 2017–18 season.
On 23 July 2018, Laurent joined League One side Shrewsbury Town on a two-year deal.[30] He was a first-team regular during his first season at the club, making a notable contribution in the third-round of the FA Cup, where he both won the penalty that led to Shrewsbury's equaliser and then went on to score the winning goal against Championship side Stoke City.[31] Laurent became a free agent after his contract expired at the end of the 2019–20 EFL League One season.[32]
On 28 July 2020, Laurent joined Championship club Reading on a two-year contract.[33] He scored his first goal for Reading in a 4–2 win over Blackburn Rovers on 27 October 2020.[34]
Prior to Reading's last game of the 2020–21 season, on 8 May 2021, Laurent was announced as the clubs player of the season.[35]
On 21 June 2022, Laurent joined Stoke City a three-year contract, to take effect from 1 July.[36]
Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
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Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Queens Park Rangers | 2013–14[13] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
2014–15[37] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |||
Braintree Town (loan) | 2013–14[13] | Conference Premier | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 16 | 0 | ||
Brentford | 2015–16[17] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
Newport County (loan) | 2015–16[17] | League Two | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[lower-alpha 1] | 0 | 4 | 0 |
Hartlepool United | 2015–16[17] | League Two | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
2016–17[26] | League Two | 25 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[lower-alpha 2] | 0 | 30 | 1 | |
Total | 28 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 33 | 1 | ||
Wigan Athletic | 2016–17[26] | Championship | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
2017–18[38] | League One | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1[lower-alpha 2] | 0 | 3 | 1 | |
Total | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | ||
Bury (loan) | 2017–18[38] | League One | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 1 |
Shrewsbury Town | 2018–19[39] | League One | 42 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1[lower-alpha 2] | 0 | 51 | 4 |
2019–20[40] | League One | 31 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 42 | 4 | |
Total | 73 | 4 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 93 | 8 | ||
Reading | 2020–21[41] | Championship | 45 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 46 | 3 | |
2021–22[42] | Championship | 41 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 42 | 2 | ||
Total | 86 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 88 | 5 | |||
Stoke City | 2022–23[43] | Championship | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 11 | 0 | |
Career total | 239 | 11 | 17 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 272 | 16 |
Individual
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Stoke City F.C. – current squad | |
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Reading F.C. Player of the Season | |
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