In Profile: James Bree
Southampton’s third signing of the January window, James Bree arrives on the south coast from Championship side Luton Town.
Born in Wakefield, the 25-year-old right back arrives at Southampton to bolster Nathan Jones’s defensive ranks,
Bree began his footballing journey at local Ossett Town before spending the bulk of his youth career at Barnsley.
He became Barnsley’s second youngest debutant when he made his first team debut at just 16 years old in May 2014 in a 3-2 home defeat to Queens Park Rangers.
Going on to make a further 60 appearances for the club, Bree was involved in Barnsley’s promotion back to the Championship in the 2015-16 season, as well as being crowned champions of the Football League Trophy.
After nearly eight years at the club, having joined at just 11-years-old, Bree signed for Championship side Aston Villa in 2017.
While making 28 appearances for the Midlands outfit, Bree went on to enjoy two separate loan spells at fellow Championship clubs. The first of which was at Ipswich Town, where he spent the second half of the 2018/19 season.
With Aston Villa promoted to the Premier League at the culmination of the 2018/19 season, Bree was loaned to newly promoted Luton Town where he played a pivotal role in earning survival for the club, contributing five assists in their first season back in the Championship.
Having made 42 appearances during his loan spell and with Nathan Jones back at the helm for Luton, Bree completed a permanent transfer to the side on September 1st 2020.
The right-back went on to make 143 appearances for the club, becoming a mainstay in the squad and netting twice during that time.
Having already recorded four assists this season, he arrives on the south coast with a plethora of experience at just 25-years-old.
His first experience of the Premier League, he will be looking to make a large contribution in a decisive end to the 2022/23 season.
