Name: Jack Wadham
Club: Bournemouth
Date of Birth: Unkown
Position: Midfielder/Centre-back
Jack Wadham – his career so far
The now 17-year-old Jack Wadham has been at Bournemouth since he was an under-ten footballer, having joined and trained at Dumpton since an early age. Even back then, he was highlighted for his great talent and for always being among the best youth performers in the club’s lower age groups.
The Yorkshire-born youngster is currently a first-year scholar with the Cherries and can boast with appearances for Bournemouth’s U18 squad. He also played for Weymouth Cougars from the age of seven, having moved from Germany as a really young kid.
Unfortunately, there’s no data available on the youngster as of right now since he’s had limited exposure with the team at any levels but has presumably been making quite a bit of noise clawing his way up the ranks at Bournemouth and impressive the staff along the way.
Back when he was just starting out as one of the Cherries in their U11 squad, he was touted as being the most talented kid in the whole team and big things were expected from him even then. Even though he was younger than his peers at that time – being officially still a U10 player – he was still able to tango with the older kids. He continued impressing and moving up the ranks, eventually making it to the U18 squad where he is playing his football right now.
But he is still very much an academy player through and through and it remains to be seen when will the club decide he is ready for a big step-up towards the senior squad. At only 17 years of age and minimal exposure at this point, however, it could still take some time before we see him anywhere near Eddie Howe’s troops.
His talent and potential do mean he has what it takes to make it but Bournemouth have to be patient with their young and still mostly unpolished gem.
Transfer latest
Since we are talking about a first-year scholar after all, there are no transfer rumours or transfer news presently surrounding the young player. It will be interesting to see, however, how the club handles his contract.
He is yet to pen that first professional deal with the team and there’s currently no Bournemouth news indicating that might be on the table. Given his talent and the rise through their academy ranks, the Cherries may want to tie him down as soon as possible.
There was some big Bournemouth news concerning the young lad at the end of 2019, however, when he was picked in the Guardian’s 20 best Premier League talents among some of the other breakthrough gems from all the top-flight teams in England.
This could indicate that he is already out there on the media’s radar but just not quite there yet.
Player profile
Wadham could be described as a deep-lying playmaker as the midfielder likes to occupy that pivot role, just ahead of the defensive line, and contribute to the build-up by securing a safe transition of the ball from the first to the final third of the pitch.
Even though he is still quite young, Wadham is quite mature for his age, making the right decision both on and off the ball and also showing a certain dose of aggressiveness when trying to snatch it away and break the opposition’s attacks.
He is also quite fast but can’t boast with a muscular physique, which could be necessary if he is to eventually make that big step up into the Premier League where players will generally be more aggressive and physical in their approach.
Interestingly enough, he can also be deployed as a centre-back, courtesy of his strong tackling abilities and a good sense of positioning and anticipation.
At the moment, even though he still has much to go, he is working to become a well-rounded midfielder with both attacking and defensive attributes along with the ability to play equally well with both feet.
The future indeed seems bright for the 17-year-old talent, which is some Bournemouth news the fans will be happy to hear.