Exeter City Complete Signings Of 22-Year-Old Forward For An Undisclosed Fee

EXETER City manager Gary Caldwell could not hide his delight after securing the signing of striker Jayden Wareham for an undisclosed fee from Reading.

The talented 22-year-old turned down the offer of a new contract with the Berkshire club having made 55 appearances in his two years with the Royals.

Now, Wareham is heading to St James Park after the Grecians are believed to have paid a development fee believed to be £60,000 for his services – and Caldwell could not be happier.

“I’m really excited, every year it’s a challenge to sign number nines and this year we’ve managed to get a young one who’s played at this level, who’s scored at this level and we believe has a massive future for us and the rest of his career at a higher level,” Caldwell said.

“He’s a huge addition to the squad. He’s someone we’ve spoke to all summer to try and get the deal done, I think the timing that we’ve came in to get him has been key.

“He really fits the profile of player we want, he’s young, he’s hungry and wants to do well at this level and beyond. He got the better of Tristan Crama last season and not many centre forwards done that last season in League One or the Championship.”

The Ascot-born 22-year-old has been in the Academies of Reading and Queen’s Park Rangers before he joined Woking, where he made 17 appearances in the 2020-21 season. He then joined Chelsea for two years, and played five games on loan at Leyton orient before returning to Reading in the summer of 2023.

He made his debut in the Royals’ 9-0 mauling of City in an EFL Trophy clash at St James Park in September 2023 and scored his first league goal in the first minute of a 2-1 win against the Grecians last season, in which he scored a total of seven goals in 44 appearances. Now, SJP will be his home after penning a two-year contract with the club having the option of a third.

“It’s been a long process, but as soon as I knew the manager wanted me – I had a call with him a few weeks ago and he was really positive about his ambitions and goals for this year – I wanted to be a part of it. I am here now and I am excited to get going,” Wareham said.

“I am a young, hungry striker that has just turned 22, so I am looking to play as many games as possible. I think, when you are my age, you want to be playing games, that’s what I hope to get here and I have been told it is going to be really positive for me, so I am excited to get going. I am here to score goals and that is something I will do and I can’t wait to score them in front of City fans.”

The arrival of Wareham came on the same day the club announced that Jay Bird had joined League two side Salford City for an undisclosed fee, believed to be £100,000.

The 24-year-old only joined the Grecians a year ago, scoring twice in 20 appearances before he joined Rochdale, where he scored six goals in 11 appearances.

Meanwhile, former City defender Vincent Harper has joined League two side Walsall following his release from St James Park.

Earlier in the day, Exeter City announced they had completed their second loan signing of the summer with the acquisition of midfielder Ethan Brierley from Premier League side Brentford.

The 21-year-old joins the Grecians on a season-long loan and follows in the footsteps of fellow Bees Ryan Trevitt (twice), Tristan Crama and Tony Yogane, who also made the journey to Devon from West London.

“Ethan’s a player we’ve followed for a long time,” manager Gary Caldwell said. “We have a strong connection with Brentford and the players we’ve had in the past have been excellent for us and we hope Ethan falls into that category.

“He’s a young, energetic, dynamic midfield player who can play as a six, but can also play higher. He gives us some versatility on how we can play and how we can set up in midfield. I met him last week and his personality and his eagerness and enthusiasm to come to play for us was impressive.

“When he first joined Brentford, he spent a lot of time on the bench in the Premier League but didn’t come on the pitch. But last season he had a consistency in terms of playing in their B team, which has taken his fitness levels and his output to another level, and now he needs that opportunity in league football to show his ability.”

Brierley came through the youth ranks of Rochdale, after trials at Blackburn Rovers and Manchester City and he was named in their squad for an FA Cup clash with Newcastle United at the age of just 15 in January 2020.

The playmaking midfielder made his debut for the club in September of that year and signed his first professional deal at the age of 17 before going on to make five appearances for Dale in the 2020-21 season, which saw them relegated from League One.

He was nominated for the League Two Apprentice of the Year award in 2022 and saw a move to Sheffield United break down due to the club being under a transfer embargo and then a switch to Blackburn collapsed when the EFL rejected their application to register the player on deadline day.

In total, he made 32 appearances for Dale before his switch to Brentford in June 2023 for an undisclosed fee on a three-year deal, but his sole appearance for the Londoners came in a Carabao Cup clash at Newport County last season, which the Bees won 3-0 on penalties. He has been a regular in the B team, though, and often as captain.

On his switch to the Grecians, Brierley said: “When my agent mentioned the move a couple of weeks ago, I was really happy and wanted to get it sorted ASAP and I am glad we got it sorted before the season started.

“I met with the manager on Sunday and really liked what he had to say and I am just looking forward to getting started now. He showed me clips from last year’s games and showed me where he thinks I can play and where I’ll fit in and it all looked good. Hopefully I can show people what I can do and kick on again.

“I spoke with Tristan and he had nothing but good things to say about the club and I thought there is no better place to be. All of them did well coming here and I am looking to follow in their footsteps really, do well here and enjoy my time here.”

Meanwhile, the Grecians have been drawn away to Cheltenham Town in the first round of this season’s Carabao Cup.

The Grecians memorably won 7-0 at the same stage of the competition at Cheltenham in August 2022, and will look to kickstart another famous cup run this time around.

The match will be played week commencing August 11 and will be the first match between the two clubs since Reece Cole’s penalty secured a 2-1 win at Cheltenham in April 2024.

Exeter have also learnt they will be joined by Arsenal Under-21s in Group A of this season’s Vertu EFL Trophy.

The Grecians were drawn against Newport County and Cardiff City in Wednesday’s initial draw with the young Gunners added to their group yesterday.

Arsenal were also in City’s group in October 2023 when the Gunners won 5-0 at St James Park.

The Grecians will play two matches at home – one of which will be against Arsenal – and one match away.

The group stages will commence in early September, and the EFL’s domestic rights deal with broadcaster Sky Sports will see every Vertu Trophy match broadcast live on Sky Sports for fans in the UK.