Ajibola Joshua Odunayo Afolarin Alese (born 17 January 2001) is an English professional footballer who plays for Sunderland as a central defender.
![]() | This article's lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points. (July 2022) |
![]() Alese warming up for West Ham United | |||
Personal information | |||
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Full name | Ajibola Joshua Odunayo Afolarin Alese[1] | ||
Date of birth | (2001-01-17) 17 January 2001 (age 21)[2] | ||
Place of birth | Islington, England | ||
Height | 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in)[2] | ||
Position(s) | Central defender | ||
Club information | |||
Current team | Sunderland | ||
Number | 42 | ||
Youth career | |||
0000–2019 | West Ham United | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2019–2022 | West Ham United | 0 | (0) |
2019–2020 | → Accrington Stanley (loan) | 10 | (0) |
2021 | → Cambridge United (loan) | 2 | (0) |
2022– | Sunderland | 9 | (1) |
National team‡ | |||
2017 | England U16 | 6 | (0) |
2018 | England U17 | 5 | (0) |
2018–2019 | England U18 | 5 | (0) |
2019–2021 | England U19 | 3 | (0) |
2020–2022 | England U20 | 4 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21:11, 18 October 2022 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 10:47, 30 March 2022 (UTC) |
Alese began his career with West Ham United, turning professional in July 2018.[3] He moved on loan to Accrington Stanley in September 2019.[4][5]
Alese made his West Ham debut on 22 September 2020, playing the full 90 minutes of a 5–1 EFL Cup third round victory over Hull City.[6]
On 1 February 2021, Alese moved on loan to Cambridge United.[7] He made only two appearances during his loan as Cambridge won promotion to League One.[8]
On 15 July 2022, Alese signed a 3-year deal with Sunderland for an undisclosed fee.[9] He made his Black Cats debut on 6 August 2022, replacing Jack Clarke in the last few minutes of a 3-2 win against Bristol City F.C.[10] Alese made his first league start on 14 September 2022 against Reading and was booked for time-wasting with nearly 30 minutes of the match still to play.[11] He scored his first Sunderland goal, also his first goal in senior football, on 17 September in a 2-2 away draw against Watford.[12]
Born in England, Alese is of Nigerian descent.[13] He has represented the England under-16 team.[3] He was a member of the England under-17 squad that hosted the 2018 UEFA European Under-17 Championship[14] and started in the semi-final defeat against the Netherlands.[15]
Alese has also represented the England under-18 team[16] and on 10 September 2018 played the whole game as England won away against France under-18.[17] In September 2019, Alese was called up to the England under-19 team.[18]
Alese made his U20 debut during a 2–0 victory over Wales at St George's Park on 13 October 2020.[19]
Dmitri Halajko, who managed Alese at under-23 level at West Ham, has praised multiple attributes of Alese, saying "he’s quick, good on the ball, he has a nice left foot, good range of passing and defends well in one-on-one situations", as well as his leadership skills, a trait former England U19 manager Paul Simpson has echoed. Accrington manager John Coleman has also commended Alese's versatility, saying "he is capable of playing left-back".[20]
Born in Islington and raised in Romford, Alese is of Nigerian descent and eligible to play for Nigeria as well as England.[21]
Club | Season | League | FA Cup | EFL Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
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Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
West Ham United | 2019–20[22] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2020–21[23] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
2021–22[24] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[lower-alpha 1] | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
Accrington Stanley (loan) | 2019–20[22] | League One | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4[lower-alpha 2] | 0 | 15 | 0 |
Cambridge United (loan) | 2020–21[23] | League Two | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Sunderland | 2022–23[25] | Championship | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 |
Career total | 21 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 29 | 1 |
Sunderland A.F.C. – current squad | |
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