Josh Laurent
Laurent training with Brentford in 2015.
Personal information
Full name Joshua Ishaele Jacob-Heron Laurent[1]
Date of birth (1995-05-06) 6 May 1995 (age 28)
Place of birth Leytonstone, England[2]
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[3]
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Stoke City
Number 28
Youth career
Chelsea
Redbridge
0000–2012 Wycombe Wanderers
2012–2013 Queens Park Rangers
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013–2015 Queens Park Rangers 0 (0)
2014 → Braintree Town (loan) 16 (0)
2015–2016 Brentford 0 (0)
2015 → Newport County (loan) 3 (0)
2016–2017 Hartlepool United 28 (1)
2017–2018 Wigan Athletic 1 (0)
2017–2018 → Bury (loan) 22 (1)
2018–2020 Shrewsbury Town 73 (4)
2020–2022 Reading 86 (5)
2022– Stoke City 54 (4)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20:11, 23 December 2023 (UTC)

Joshua Ishaele Jacob-Heron Laurent (born 6 May 1995) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Stoke City.

Laurent began his professional career with Queens Park Rangers in 2013. After a loan spell at Braintree Town he moved on to Brentford in January 2015 and was loaned out to Newport County. In January 2016, Laurent joined Hartlepool United on a free transfer. He went on to play for Wigan Athletic, Bury and Shrewsbury Town before earning a move to Championship side Reading in July 2020. In his first season with the Royals Laurent won the clubs player of the season award. After two years with Reading, Laurent joined Stoke City in June 2022.

Club career

Early career

Laurent was born in Leytonstone and attended Beal High School.[4] Laurent began his career in the youth systems at Chelsea, Redbridge (where his father Burt was coach)[5] and Wycombe Wanderers and signed a scholarship deal with the latter club in 2011.[6][7] After a trial with Premier League club Liverpool,[8]

Queens Park Rangers

Laurent moved into the academy at Queens Park Rangers prior to the beginning of the 2012–13 season.[1] made 20 appearances in the youth team's victorious 2012–13 Professional U18 Development League 2 campaign and played the full 90 minutes of the 1–0 win over Huddersfield Town in the final.[9][10] Laurent signed his first professional contract in May 2013, a one-year deal.[11] Laurent continued to play in the Development Squad through the 2013–14 and 2014–15 seasons.

Laurent signed for Conference Premier side Braintree Town on a one-month loan on 17 February 2014.[12] He made the first senior appearance of his career with a start in a 2–2 draw with Kidderminster Harriers five days later.[13] Laurent won praise for his performances from manager Alan Devonshire and remained at Cressing Road for a second month,[14] before departing after his 16th appearance on 12 April.[13]

He departed QPR on 14 January 2015.[2] The departure of Laurent caused a "reaction" at Loftus Road, with the supporters questioning the club's commitment to its younger players.[15] On 23 January, Rangers' Head of Football Operations Les Ferdinand revealed that he had been unable to convince Laurent that there was a pathway from the Development Squad to the first team.[16]

Brentford

On 14 January 2015, Laurent moved across West London to sign for Championship side Brentford on a one-and-a-half-year Development Squad deal for an undisclosed fee.[2] Laurent signed for League Two side Newport County on a 28-day youth loan on 19 August 2015,[17] which was later extended to 14 October.[18] He made his debut (the first Football League appearance of his career) as a 74th-minute substitute for Scott Boden in a 3–2 defeat to Leyton Orient three days later.[19] He made his first start for the club on 1 September,[19] playing the opening 73 minutes of the Exiles' shootout defeat to Swindon Town in the Football League Trophy first round.[20] Laurent was left out of incoming manager John Sheridan's first squad on 3 October and was recalled by Brentford five days later,[19][21] having made four appearances.[22] He made his only first team appearance in the League Cup first round versus Oxford United on 11 August, playing the full 90 minutes of the 4–0 defeat.[23] Laurent failed to feature in another first team squad before his contract was terminated by mutual consent on 1 February 2016.[24] He made 21 appearances and scored five goals for the Development Squad.[24]

Hartlepool United

On 1 February 2016, Laurent joined League Two club Hartlepool United on a free transfer.[25][26] Laurent scored his first and only goal for the club in a 3–1 defeat to Leyton Orient on 22 October 2016 and remained with the club until February 2017,[27] by which time he had made 33 appearances.[22]

Wigan Athletic

On 1 February 2017, Laurent joined Championship club Wigan Athletic on a two-and-a-half-year contract for an undisclosed fee.[28] He made just one appearance before the end of the 2016–17 season,[28] at the end of which the Latics were relegated to League One.[29] He scored his only goal for Wigan in a 2–1 EFL Cup win against Blackpool on 8 August 2017.[30] On 31 August 2017, Bury signed Laurent on loan for the rest of the 2017–18 season.[31] He played 22 games for the Shakers scoring once as they suffered relegation to League Two.[32]

Shrewsbury Town

On 23 July 2018, Laurent joined League One side Shrewsbury Town on a two-year deal.[33] He was a first-team regular during his first season at the club, making a notable contribution in the third-round of the FA Cup, where he both won the penalty that led to Shrewsbury's equaliser and then went on to score the winning goal against Championship side Stoke City.[34] Laurent became a free agent after his contract expired at the end of the 2019–20 EFL League One season.[35]

Reading

On 28 July 2020, Laurent joined Championship club Reading on a two-year contract.[36] He scored his first goal for Reading in a 4–2 win over Blackburn Rovers on 27 October 2020.[37] Laurent made 46 appearances, scoring three goals in 2020–21 as the Royals missed out on a play-off position finishing in seventh.[38][39] Prior to Reading's last game of the season, on 8 May 2021, Laurent was announced as the clubs player of the season.[40] In 2021–22, Laurent played 42 times as Reading struggled at the foot of table, finishing four points above the relegation zone.[41][42]

Stoke City

On 21 June 2022, Laurent joined Stoke City a three-year contract.[43][44] He scored his first goal for Stoke on 29 January 2023 in an FA Cup tie against Stevenage.[45] He scored his first league goals in a 3–1 win against Swansea City on 21 February 2023.[46] In the 2022–23 season, Laurent scored five goals in 36 appearances as Stoke finished in 16th.[47] He was appointed club captain by Alex Neil ahead of the 2023–24 season.[48]

Career statistics

As of match played 23 December 2023
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Queens Park Rangers 2013–14[13] Championship 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
2014–15[49] Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
Braintree Town (loan) 2013–14[13] Conference Premier 16 0 0 0 — — 16 0
Brentford 2015–16[23] Championship 0 0 0 0 1 0 — 1 0
Newport County (loan) 2015–16[23] League Two 3 0 0 0 0 0 1[a] 0 4 0
Hartlepool United 2015–16[23] League Two 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
2016–17[27] League Two 25 1 2 0 1 0 2[a] 0 30 1
Total 28 1 2 0 1 0 2 0 33 1
Wigan Athletic 2016–17[27] Championship 1 0 0 0 0 0 — 1 0
2017–18[32] League One 0 0 0 0 2 1 1[a] 0 3 1
Total 1 0 0 0 2 1 1 0 4 1
Bury (loan) 2017–18[32] League One 22 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 22 1
Shrewsbury Town 2018–19[50] League One 42 2 7 2 1 0 1[a] 0 51 4
2019–20[51] League One 31 2 7 2 0 0 4[a] 0 42 4
Total 73 4 14 4 1 0 5 0 93 8
Reading 2020–21[38] Championship 45 3 0 0 1 0 — 46 3
2021–22[41] Championship 41 2 1 0 0 0 — 42 2
Total 86 5 1 0 1 0 — 88 5
Stoke City 2022–23[52] Championship 32 4 3 1 1 0 — 36 5
2023–24[53] Championship 22 0 0 0 3 2 — 25 2
Total 54 4 3 1 4 2 — 61 7
Career total 283 15 20 5 10 3 9 0 322 23
  1. ^ a b c d e Appearances in EFL Trophy

Honours

Individual

References

  1. ^ a b "Premier League Clubs submit Squad Lists" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 September 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  2. ^ a b c Chapman, Mark. "Queens Park Rangers midfield player Josh Laurent joins Brentford on a Development Squad contract". www.brentfordfc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 5 February 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  3. ^ "Josh Laurent". Stoke City F.C. Archived from the original on 19 August 2022. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  4. ^ "Former Beal Students – FA Cup 2018/2019". bealhighschool.co.uk. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  5. ^ "BURT LAURENT". redbridgefc.co.uk. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  6. ^ "Laurent is a Wanderer – News – Under 17's (EJA Essex) – Redbridge Football Club". www.pitchero.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  7. ^ "Wycombe Wanderers Youth Team Info [www.CHAIRBOYS.co.uk]". www.chairboys.co.uk. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  8. ^ "LIVERWEB – Liverpool FC A to Z". www.liverweb.org.uk. Archived from the original on 24 February 2008. Retrieved 9 July 2015.((cite web)): CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  9. ^ "Under-21 profiles". 12 August 2013. Archived from the original on 12 August 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  10. ^ Booth, Mel (16 May 2013). "Huddersfield Town U18s downed by QPR penalty in play-off final". Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  11. ^ "Under-18s pen pro deals". www.qpr.co.uk. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  12. ^ "Braintree loan Laurent". www.qpr.co.uk. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  13. ^ a b c d "Games played by Josh Laurent in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  14. ^ "Braintree Town boss hails QPR and Watford loanees". Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  15. ^ "QPR manager Harry Redknapp must stop playing blame game – if Hoops go down it's nobody's fault but his own". Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  16. ^ "Les Ferdinand explains how QPR's reputation will change". www.qpr.co.uk. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  17. ^ Brentford FC. "Josh Laurent signs for Newport County on loan". brentfordfc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  18. ^ FC, Brentford. "Josh Laurent extends Newport County loan". www.brentfordfc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
  19. ^ a b c "Joshua Laurent Player Profile – ESPN FC". www.espnfc.com. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
  20. ^ "Newport 1–1 Swindon (6–7 on pens)". BBC. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
  21. ^ "Josh Laurent recalled from Newport County loan". www.brentfordfc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  22. ^ a b "Josh Laurent". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  23. ^ a b c d "Games played by Josh Laurent in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  24. ^ a b FC, Brentford. "Josh Laurent leaves Brentford". www.brentfordfc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 8 April 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  25. ^ "Hartlepool United sign midfielder Josh Laurent on undisclosed deal". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  26. ^ "Josh Laurent Makes Move To Pools". Brentford FC. 1 February 2016. Archived from the original on 26 May 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  27. ^ a b c "Games played by Josh Laurent in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  28. ^ a b "First Team – Midfielder – Josh Laurent". www.wiganathletic.com. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  29. ^ "Football Club History Database – Wigan Athletic". fchd.info. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  30. ^ "Games played by Josh Laurent in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  31. ^ "Josh Laurent signs for Bury". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  32. ^ a b c "Games played by Josh Laurent in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  33. ^ "Josh Laurent: Shrewsbury Town sign Wigan Athletic midfielder". BBC Sport. 21 July 2018. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
  34. ^ "FA Cup third round: Stoke City 2-3 Shrewsbury". BBC Sport. 15 January 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
  35. ^ James, Ben (25 July 2020). "Cardiff and Swansea set to be beaten to Josh Laurent signing by Reading". walesonline. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  36. ^ "🖋️ Josh Laurent is a Royal!". readingfc.co.uk/. Reading F.C. 28 July 2020. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  37. ^ "Blackburn 2-4 Reading". BBC. 27 October 2020. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
  38. ^ a b "Games played by Josh Laurent in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  39. ^ "Reading 2–2 Swansea City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  40. ^ a b "Josh Laurent voted your 2020/21 Player of the Season!". readingfc.co.uk/. Reading F.C. 8 May 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  41. ^ a b "Games played by Josh Laurent in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  42. ^ "Hull City 3–0 Reading". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  43. ^ "Welcoming Josh". Stoke City. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  44. ^ "Stoke City: Reading midfielder Josh Laurent joins Potters on three-year contract". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
  45. ^ "Stoke 3-1 Stevenage". BBC. 29 January 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  46. ^ "Swansea 1-3 Stoke City: Josh Laurent scores twice in impressive Potters comeback". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
  47. ^ "Stoke City end of season player ratings for 32-man squad". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  48. ^ "Josh Laurent named Stoke City club captain". Stoke City. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  49. ^ "Games played by Josh Laurent in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  50. ^ "Games played by Josh Laurent in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
  51. ^ "Games played by Josh Laurent in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  52. ^ "Games played by Josh Laurent in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  53. ^ "Games played by Josh Laurent in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.

External links

Stoke City F.C. – current squad
Reading F.C. Player of the Season
Categories