Zechariah Joshua Henry Medley (born 9 July 2000) is an English professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who plays as a
centre-back for
KV Oostende
Koninklijke Voetbalclub Oostende, also called KV Oostende () or KVO, is a Belgian football club from the city of Ostend, West Flanders in Belgium. The team was founded in 1904 as ''VG Oostende'' and has the matricule No. 31.
History
In 1911, a ...
.
Club career
Born in
Greenwich
Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross.
Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...
, Greater London, Medley joined the youth academy at
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
when he was eight years old.
Arsenal
Upon leaving Chelsea, he joined the youth academy at
Arsenal in December 2016. He captained the Arsenal under-18's at the beginning of the 2017–18 season before moving to the under-23 side.
On 22 October 2018, Medley appeared on the bench for the Arsenal senior side for the first time in a
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
match against
Leicester City
Leicester ( ) is a city, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the National ...
. A month later, on 29 November, Medley made his senior competitive debut for Arsenal in the
Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...
against
Vorskla Poltava, coming on as a 60th-minute substitute for
Rob Holding
Robert Samuel Holding (born 20 September 1995) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for club Arsenal.
Holding progressed through the Bolton Wanderers youth system, making his senior debut in April 2015 while on loan ...
.
Loan spells
Medley had joined
League One
The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
club
Gillingham on a season-long loan on 10 August 2020, becoming their fourth signing of the summer. On 5 September, he made his debut in a 1–0 win against
Southend United
Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of English football. Southend are known as ...
in the
EFL Cup. He made a total of 18 appearances for the club before he was recalled on 1 February 2021. He immediately joined
Scottish Premiership
The Scottish Premiership, known as the cinch Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is the top division of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottis ...
side
Kilmarnock on loan until the end of the season. On 6 February, he made his debut in a 2–0 loss against
St Mirren in the Scottish Premiership. On 27 February, he scored his first goal for Kilmarnock in a 1–1 draw against
Dundee United
Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the city of Dundee. The club name is usually abbreviated to Dundee United. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1 ...
in the Scottish Premiership.
KV Oostende
On 21 June 2021, Medley joined
Belgian First Division A side
KV Oostende
Koninklijke Voetbalclub Oostende, also called KV Oostende () or KVO, is a Belgian football club from the city of Ostend, West Flanders in Belgium. The team was founded in 1904 as ''VG Oostende'' and has the matricule No. 31.
History
In 1911, a ...
on a permanent deal, signing a four-year contract with the option of an additional year.
International career
Born in England, Medley is of Jamaican descent. He is a youth international for England.
Career statistics
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Medley, Zech
2000 births
Living people
Footballers from Greenwich
English men's footballers
England men's youth international footballers
Men's association football defenders
Arsenal F.C. players
Gillingham F.C. players
Kilmarnock F.C. players
K.V. Oostende players
English Football League players
Scottish Professional Football League players
Belgian Pro League players
English expatriate men's footballers
Expatriate men's footballers in Belgium
Black British sportsmen
English people of Jamaican descent