Zech Medley

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)
2020–2021	→ Gillingham (loan)	12	(0)
2021	→ Kilmarnock (loan)	8	(1)
2021–2024	KV Oostende	58	(3)
2024–	Fleetwood Town	3	(0)
International career
2015–2016	England U16	8	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17 December 2024

Club career

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

Arsenal

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

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

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

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

International career

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

Career statistics

As of match played 24 August 2024^[18][19]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup[a]		League cup[b]		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[c]	0	3[d]	0	6	0
	2019–20[21]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2[d]	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
Fleetwood Town	2024–25[23]	League Two	3	0	0	0	1	0	—		0	0	4	0
Career total			81	4	11	0	3	0	2	0	9	0	106	4

1. Includes FA Cup, Scottish Cup, Belgian Cup
2. Includes EFL Cup, Scottish League Cup
3. Appearances in UEFA Europa League
4. Appearances in EFL Trophy

References

1. "2020/21 Premier League squads confirmed". Premier League. 20 October 2020. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
2. "Zech Medley: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
3. 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. 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. "Games played by Zech Medley in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
23. "Games played by Zech Medley in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 December 2024.