Aji Alese
Defender - Centre-Back
at Sunderland AFC
at Sunderland AFC
1,410 days · joined 2022-07-15
👕100+ Apps
Market value
€1.00m
Centre-Back Defender
Career snapshot
7
clubs played for
16/17
debut season
0.04
goals / match
West Ham United U23
top club · 56 apps
Career highs
€1.20m
peak value · 2023
€590k
top transfer fee · 22/23
2
best season · 21/22
22 / 0
int'l caps / goals
Born the same day
Shares 2001-01-17 · 6 players total
141Appearances
5Goals
6Assists
28Yellow cards
0Red cards
37Full matches (90′)
| Full name | Aji Alese |
|---|---|
| Name in home country | Ajibola Joshua Odunayo Afolarin Alese |
| Date of birth | 2001-01-17 (25 yrs) |
| Place of birth | London, England |
| Citizenship | England Nigeria |
| Position | Defender - Centre-Back (main: Defender) |
| Foot | left |
| Height | 192.00 m |
| Current club | Sunderland AFC |
| Joined | 2022-07-15 |
| Contract expires | 2027-06-30 |
| Agent | Unique Sports Group |
Jan 2025
Injury: unknown
28 games missed
Aug 2024
Injury: unknown
12 games missed
Jul 2024
24/25 — Sunderland AFC
13 matches · 0 G · 0 A · across 2 competitions
Jan 2024
Injury: unknown
11 games missed
Jul 2023
23/24 — Sunderland AFC, Sunderland AFC U21
11 matches · 0 G · 0 A · across 3 competitions
Jun 2023
Injury: unknown
22 games missed
Mar 2023
Injury: unknown
13 games missed
Dec 2022
Injury: unknown
5 games missed
Oct 2022
Injury: unknown
6 games missed
Jul 2022
Transfer: West Ham U21 → Sunderland
22/23 · Transfer · €590k
Jul 2022
22/23 — Sunderland AFC
24 matches · 1 G · 1 A · across 4 competitions
Jul 2021
21/22 — West Ham United, West Ham United U23
27 matches · 2 G · 1 A · across 6 competitions
May 2021
Transfer: Cambridge Utd. → West Ham U23
20/21 · Return from loan
Feb 2021
Transfer: West Ham U23 → Cambridge Utd.
20/21 · Loan
Jul 2020
20/21 — West Ham United, Cambridge United, West Ham United U23
7 matches · 0 G · 0 A · across 3 competitions
May 2020
Transfer: Accrington → West Ham U23
19/20 · Return from loan
Sep 2019
Transfer: West Ham U23 → Accrington
19/20 · Loan
Jul 2019
19/20 — Accrington Stanley, West Ham United U23
19 matches · 0 G · 2 A · across 4 competitions
Jul 2018
18/19 — West Ham United U23, West Ham United U18
24 matches · 1 G · 1 A · across 4 competitions
Jul 2018
Transfer: West Ham U18 → West Ham U23
18/19 · Transfer
Jul 2017
17/18 — West Ham United U23, West Ham United U18
9 matches · 0 G · 0 A · across 2 competitions
Jul 2017
Transfer: West Ham Yth. → West Ham U18
17/18 · Transfer
Jul 2016
16/17 — West Ham United U18
7 matches · 1 G · 1 A · across 2 competitions
Jan 1970
Peak market value: €1.20m
Highest valuation recorded in dataset
Minutes played by club
Sunderland AFC
42.3%
Sunderland AFC U21
0.0%
West Ham United
0.0%
West Ham United U23
30.7%
Cambridge United
0.0%
Accrington Stanley
0.0%
West Ham United U18
27.0%
| Club | Seasons | First | Last | Matches | Goals | Assists | Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunderland AFC | 3 | 22/23 | 24/25 | 46 | 1 | 1 | 1,410 |
| Sunderland AFC U21 | 1 | 23/24 | 23/24 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| West Ham United | 2 | 20/21 | 21/22 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| West Ham United U23 | 5 | 17/18 | 21/22 | 56 | 2 | 3 | 1,021 |
| Cambridge United | 1 | 20/21 | 20/21 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Accrington Stanley | 1 | 19/20 | 19/20 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| West Ham United U18 | 3 | 16/17 | 18/19 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 900 |
Career trajectory — goals, assists & market value
Goals by season
Assists by season
| Season | Competition | Club | Matches | Goals | Assists | YC | RC | Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24/25 | Championship | Sunderland AFC | 12 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 24/25 | FA Cup | Sunderland AFC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 23/24 | Championship | Sunderland AFC | 8 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 23/24 | FA Cup | Sunderland AFC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 23/24 | Premier League 2 | Sunderland AFC U21 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 22/23 | Championship | Sunderland AFC | 20 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1,410 |
| 22/23 | Championship Play-Offs | Sunderland AFC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 22/23 | EFL Cup | Sunderland AFC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 22/23 | FA Cup | Sunderland AFC | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 21/22 | EFL Cup | West Ham United | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21/22 | EFL Trophy | West Ham United U23 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 21/22 | Europa League | West Ham United | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21/22 | FA Cup | West Ham United | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21/22 | Premier League | West Ham United | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21/22 | Premier League 2 | West Ham United U23 | 23 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1,021 |
| 20/21 | EFL Cup | West Ham United | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20/21 | League Two | Cambridge United | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20/21 | Premier League 2 | West Ham United U23 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 19/20 | EFL Trophy | Accrington Stanley | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 19/20 | FA Cup | Accrington Stanley | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 19/20 | League One | Accrington Stanley | 10 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 19/20 | Premier League 2 | West Ham United U23 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 18/19 | EFL Trophy | West Ham United U23 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18/19 | FA Youth Cup | West Ham United U18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18/19 | Premier League 2 | West Ham United U23 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 18/19 | U18 Premier League | West Ham United U18 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 540 |
| 17/18 | Premier League 2 | West Ham United U23 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 17/18 | U18 Premier League | West Ham United U18 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16/17 | U18 PL - Final Stage | West Ham United U18 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 360 |
| 16/17 | U18 Premier League | West Ham United U18 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Season | Date | From | To | Type | Market value | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17/18 | 2017-07-01 | West Ham Yth. | West Ham U18 | Transfer | 0 | — |
| 18/19 | 2018-07-01 | West Ham U18 | West Ham U23 | Transfer | 0 | — |
| 19/20 | 2019-09-02 | West Ham U23 | Accrington | Loan | 0 | — |
| 19/20 | 2020-05-31 | Accrington | West Ham U23 | Return from loan | 0 | — |
| 20/21 | 2021-02-01 | West Ham U23 | Cambridge Utd. | Loan | 0 | — |
| 20/21 | 2021-05-31 | Cambridge Utd. | West Ham U23 | Return from loan | 0 | — |
| 22/23 | 2022-07-15 | West Ham U21 | Sunderland | Transfer | 500000 | €590k |
| Season | Injury | From | To | Days missed | Games missed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22/23 | Ankle injury | 2022-10-18 | 2022-11-28 | 42 | 6 |
| 22/23 | Foot injury | 2022-12-25 | 2023-01-14 | 21 | 5 |
| 22/23 | Thigh problems | 2023-03-04 | 2023-05-14 | 72 | 13 |
| 23/24 | Thigh problems | 2023-06-01 | 2023-12-15 | 198 | 22 |
| 23/24 | Ankle injury | 2024-01-15 | 2024-03-20 | 66 | 11 |
| 24/25 | Ankle injury | 2024-08-26 | 2024-11-10 | 77 | 12 |
| 25/26 | Shoulder injury | 2025-01-13 | 2025-09-13 | 244 | 28 |
Current€1.00m
Peak€1.20m
Low€400k
Δ since start+€600k
| Date | Value |
|---|---|
| Jan 1, 1970 | €1.00m |
| Jan 1, 1970 | €1.00m |
| Jan 1, 1970 | €1.00m |
| Jan 1, 1970 | €1.00m |
| Jan 1, 1970 | €1.20m |
| Jan 1, 1970 | €1.00m |
| Jan 1, 1970 | €500k |
| Jan 1, 1970 | €400k |
| Team | Shirt | Matches | Goals | Debut | Age at debut | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team #53638 | — | 1 | 0 | — | — | former national player |
| Team #31269 | #6 | 5 | 0 | — | — | former national player |
| Team #30322 | — | 6 | 0 | — | — | former national player |
| Team #23260 | — | 3 | 0 | — | — | former national player |
| Team #22907 | — | 4 | 0 | — | — | former national player |
| Team #21340 | — | 3 | 0 | — | — | former national player |
| Teammate | PPG played with | Joint goals | Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jamal Baptiste | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Danny Batth | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Joseph Anang | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Kamarai Swyer | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Sonny Perkins | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Armstrong Oko-Flex | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Jeremy Ngakia | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Sean Adarkwa | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Krisztián Hegyi | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Alfie Lewis | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Emmanuel Longelo | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Ben Johnson | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Conor Coventry | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Harrison Ashby | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Dan Chesters | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jack Clarke | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Bernardo Rosa | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Pierre Ekwah | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Keenan Appiah-Forson | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Patrick Roberts | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Single-season peaks across competitions in this player's career.
Top goalscoring seasons
| Season | Competition | Club | Goals | Matches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21/22 | Premier League 2 | West Ham United U23 | 2 | 23 |
| 16/17 | U18 PL - Final Stage | West Ham United U18 | 1 | 4 |
| 18/19 | U18 Premier League | West Ham United U18 | 1 | 6 |
Top assist seasons
| Season | Competition | Club | Assists | Matches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16/17 | U18 Premier League | West Ham United U18 | 1 | 3 |
| 19/20 | Premier League 2 | West Ham United U23 | 1 | 4 |
| 18/19 | Premier League 2 | West Ham United U23 | 1 | 14 |
Every loan spell across this player's career.
| Season | Date | From | To | Type | Fee | Value at transfer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20/21 | 2021-05-31 | Cambridge Utd. | West Ham U23 | Return from loan | — | — |
| 20/21 | 2021-02-01 | West Ham U23 | Cambridge Utd. | Loan | — | — |
| 19/20 | 2020-05-31 | Accrington | West Ham U23 | Return from loan | — | — |
| 19/20 | 2019-09-02 | West Ham U23 | Accrington | Loan | — | — |
Last 50 matches for Sunderland AFC The Availability column cross-references our injury database — matches inside a known injury window are flagged INJURED. Per-match goal attribution requires a paid feed (FBref/Sofascore) and isn't wired up yet.
| Date | Comp | Home | Score | Away | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-24 | GB1 |
Sunderland AFC | 2–1 | Chelsea FC | Available |
| 2026-05-17 | GB1 |
Everton FC | – | Sunderland AFC | TIMED |
| 2026-05-09 | GB1 |
Sunderland AFC | 0–0 | Manchester United FC | Available |
| 2026-05-09 | GB1 |
Sunderland AFC | 0–0 | Manchester United FC | Available |
| 2026-05-02 | GB1 |
Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | 1–1 | Sunderland AFC | Available |
| 2026-05-02 | GB1 |
Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | 1–1 | Sunderland AFC | Available |
| 2026-04-24 | GB1 |
Sunderland AFC | 0–5 | Nottingham Forest FC | Available |
| 2026-04-24 | GB1 |
Sunderland AFC | 0–5 | Nottingham Forest FC | Available |
| 2026-04-19 | GB1 |
Aston Villa FC | 4–3 | Sunderland AFC | Available |
| 2026-04-19 | GB1 |
Aston Villa FC | 4–3 | Sunderland AFC | Available |
| 2026-04-12 | GB1 |
Sunderland AFC | 1–0 | Tottenham Hotspur FC | Available |
| 2026-03-22 | GB1 |
Newcastle United FC | 1–2 | Sunderland AFC | Available |
| 2026-03-14 | GB1 |
Sunderland AFC | 0–1 | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | Available |
| 2026-03-03 | GB1 |
Leeds United FC | 0–1 | Sunderland AFC | Available |
| 2026-02-28 | GB1 |
AFC Bournemouth | 1–1 | Sunderland AFC | Available |
| 2026-02-22 | GB1 |
Sunderland AFC | 1–3 | Fulham FC | Available |
| 2026-02-11 | GB1 |
Sunderland AFC | 0–1 | Liverpool FC | Available |
| 2026-02-07 | GB1 |
Arsenal FC | 3–0 | Sunderland AFC | Available |
| 2026-02-02 | GB1 |
Sunderland AFC | 3–0 | Burnley FC | Available |
| 2026-01-24 | GB1 |
West Ham United FC | 3–1 | Sunderland AFC | Available |
| 2026-01-17 | GB1 |
Sunderland AFC | 2–1 | Crystal Palace FC | Available |
| 2026-01-07 | GB1 |
Brentford FC | 3–0 | Sunderland AFC | Available |
| 2026-01-04 | GB1 |
Tottenham Hotspur FC | 1–1 | Sunderland AFC | Available |
| 2026-01-01 | GB1 |
Sunderland AFC | 0–0 | Manchester City FC | Available |
| 2025-12-28 | GB1 |
Sunderland AFC | 1–1 | Leeds United FC | Available |
| 2025-12-20 | GB1 |
Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 0–0 | Sunderland AFC | Available |
| 2025-12-14 | GB1 |
Sunderland AFC | 1–0 | Newcastle United FC | Available |
| 2025-12-06 | GB1 |
Manchester City FC | 3–0 | Sunderland AFC | Available |
| 2025-12-03 | GB1 |
Liverpool FC | 1–1 | Sunderland AFC | Available |
| 2025-11-29 | GB1 |
Sunderland AFC | 3–2 | AFC Bournemouth | Available |
| 2025-11-22 | GB1 |
Fulham FC | 1–0 | Sunderland AFC | Available |
| 2025-11-08 | GB1 |
Sunderland AFC | 2–2 | Arsenal FC | Available |
| 2025-11-03 | GB1 |
Sunderland AFC | 1–1 | Everton FC | Available |
| 2025-10-25 | GB1 |
Chelsea FC | 1–2 | Sunderland AFC | Available |
| 2025-10-18 | GB1 |
Sunderland AFC | 2–0 | Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | Available |
| 2025-10-04 | GB1 |
Manchester United FC | 2–0 | Sunderland AFC | Available |
| 2025-09-27 | GB1 |
Nottingham Forest FC | 0–1 | Sunderland AFC | Available |
| 2025-09-21 | GB1 |
Sunderland AFC | 1–1 | Aston Villa FC | Available |
| 2025-09-13 | GB1 |
Crystal Palace FC | 0–0 | Sunderland AFC | Available |
| 2025-08-30 | GB1 |
Sunderland AFC | 2–1 | Brentford FC | INJURED Shoulder injury |
| 2025-08-23 | GB1 |
Burnley FC | 2–0 | Sunderland AFC | INJURED Shoulder injury |
| 2025-08-16 | GB1 |
Sunderland AFC | 3–0 | West Ham United FC | INJURED Shoulder injury |
| 2025-05-24 | GB2 |
Sheffield United FC | 1–2 | Sunderland AFC | INJURED Shoulder injury |
| 2025-05-13 | GB2 |
Sunderland AFC | 1–1 | Coventry City FC | INJURED Shoulder injury |
| 2025-05-09 | GB2 |
Coventry City FC | 1–2 | Sunderland AFC | INJURED Shoulder injury |
| 2025-05-03 | GB2 |
Sunderland AFC | 0–1 | Queens Park Rangers FC | INJURED Shoulder injury |
| 2025-04-26 | GB2 |
Oxford United FC | 2–0 | Sunderland AFC | INJURED Shoulder injury |
| 2025-04-21 | GB2 |
Sunderland AFC | 0–1 | Blackburn Rovers FC | INJURED Shoulder injury |
| 2025-04-18 | GB2 |
Bristol City FC | 2–1 | Sunderland AFC | INJURED Shoulder injury |
| 2025-04-12 | GB2 |
Sunderland AFC | 0–1 | Swansea City AFC | INJURED Shoulder injury |
Teams faced most often by Aji Alese's clubs during seasons he played in those competitions (team-level results, not personal head-to-head goals — see disclaimer above).
| Opponent | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blackpool FC | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 40% |
| Doncaster Rovers | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 2 | +5 | 75% |
| AFC Wimbledon | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 75% |
| Oxford United | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 25% |
| Plymouth Argyle | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 75% |
| Charlton Athletic | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 25% |
| Watford FC | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 25% |
| Fleetwood Town | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 6 | +1 | 25% |
| Middlesbrough FC | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | -1 | 25% |
| Shrewsbury Town | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 4 | +3 | 50% |
| Luton Town FC | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | -1 | 25% |
| Accrington Stanley | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 50% |
Auto-detected milestones based on cumulative career totals.
| Season / Year | Milestone | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 16/17 | Senior debut season | |
| 16/17 | First senior goal |
Yellow / second-yellow / red cards per season. Only seasons with at least one card are shown.
| Season | Matches | Mins | YC | 2nd YC | RC | Cards / 90′ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24/25 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 23/24 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 22/23 | 24 | 1,410 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.19 |
| 21/22 | 27 | 1,021 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0.62 |
| 20/21 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 19/20 | 19 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18/19 | 24 | 540 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0.83 |
| 16/17 | 7 | 360 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 |
Output by competition
Career goals and assists broken down by tournament.
Premier League 2
52 apps
2 G
3 A
U18 Premier League
13 apps
1 G
1 A
Championship
40 apps
1 G
0 A
U18 PL - Final Stage
4 apps
1 G
0 A
FA Cup
5 apps
0 G
1 A
EFL Trophy
10 apps
0 G
1 A
League One
10 apps
0 G
0 A
More on Aji Alese
Explore this player's career through different angles.
Similar players
Same position, similar age, sorted by market value.
Frequently asked about Aji Alese
Who is Aji Alese?
Aji Alese is an England professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Sunderland AFC.
How old is Aji Alese?
Aji Alese is 25 years old. He was born on January 17, 2001 in London.
What position does Aji Alese play?
Aji Alese plays as a centre-back (Defender - Centre-Back).
What club does Aji Alese play for?
Aji Alese currently plays for Sunderland AFC.
How many career goals has Aji Alese scored?
Across all senior club competitions in our dataset, Aji Alese has scored 5 goals in 141 appearances.
What is Aji Alese's market value?
Aji Alese's most recent reported market value is €1.00m.