Wolves have completed the signing of last year’s Championship Young Player of the Season Jordan James on loan with an option to buy.
The Wales international joins from Ligue 1 side Rennes, having scored 11 times from midfield in 34 Leicester City appearances last season, and will become a permanent Wolves player next summer, should the club trigger his option.
James, 22, was born in Hereford and began his career with Birmingham City, progressing through the academy before making his debut as a 17-year-old – the first of 105 appearances he made for the Blues, 95 coming in the Championship.
While at St Andrew’s, James became a senior international for Wales, his father’s native country, making his debut against Croatia aged 18 and starting a journey which has yielded 26 caps to date and one goal against Lichenstein last year.
In 2024 James broadened his horizons with a move to Rennes in the French top flight and played 25 times, before returning to the UK on loan at Leicester last term.
At the King Power the midfielder flourished, despite the Foxes’ struggles. His 11 goals – a combination of the spectacular and via late runs into the box – was a Leicester high, while he chipped in with a further four assists.
As well as being voted the division’s top young player, the midfielder was a triple winner at his club’s end of season awards, being voted Player of the Season by supporters and his teammates, as well as taking the young player honour.
‘Welcome to the pack, JJ.’ ✍️ pic.twitter.com/ug2HZ2LtUw
— Wolves (@Wolves) August 19, 2026
Executive chairman Nathan Shi said: “Our approach this transfer window has been to identify players who are hungry to play for Wolves. After speaking to Jordan, it was clear he believes in our project and wants to be here, and we believe in him because he’s a fantastic player.
“We’re very excited to have him in the building. He was a top target of ours because he is a talented young player, is homegrown and knows the Championship well, having done so well last season.
“We’re really looking forward to seeing what Jordan can accomplish here at Wolves, with his new teammates and coaches.”
Head coach Cesar Peixoto said: “Jordan is a box-to-box midfielder, with a lot of quality, and knows the Championship well which is important for us. We try to bring players with the right characteristics for our team and to my system, and I think he is a good match for the team.
“He is a clever player, an intelligent player, and can play in two or three positions in our way of playing and structure. He is an important player to help us to improve this season.
“The more players who know the Championship, the better. He played here last year and did a great season, so can adapt to our way of playing, our team. He is a player with a good pedigree in the Championship, but the most important thing is one more option to improve the team.”
Technical director Matt Jackson said: “Jordan had been coveted by a lot of teams, and I’m delighted that he's chosen us. It was important that we waited for the right target rather than rush, and when you end up getting the result that you want, you are absolutely delighted.
“He’s really level-headed and ambitious, which is what you want to see, a bit of fire when you look into the eyes and see what they want to do. He’s a top player that's really ambitious to progress his career.
“The way that Cesar plays with that rotation midfield, the three different positions, he can cover them all. He has a goal scoring contribution that's proven, fantastic energy, and a great knowledge of the league, and he made it very clear that we were the destination he wanted.”
