Wareham already feeling at home with Grecians

I: certainly hasn’t taken Jayden Wareham long to endear himself to Exeter City supporters. A goal on his home debut in front of the Big Bank is as good as it gets for any new player joining the Grecians, but it was more than just his goal which made a huge first impression.

- STUART JAMES

At 22, Wareham has had an interesting career to date. A youngster in the Academy at Reading, he then joined Queen’s Park Rangers, who released him at the age of 16. His next move too him to Woking and he impressed for both their Under-18s and 23s before being given his first team debut in January 2020.

In total, Wareham made 20 appearances for the cards, scoring twice, which earned him a trial - and subsequently a two-year contract - at Chelsea. A loan spell at Leyton Orient saw him score twice in seven appearances before he returned to Stamford Bridge and was released in June 2023, just a month after his 20th birthday.

That led to him returning to Reading and his first outing for the Royals came in a 9-0 win against the Grecians in an EFL trophy tie in September 2023. That was the first of 55 appearances for the Royals in which he scored seven goals, but 30 of those were as a substitute. Towards the end of last season, Wareham was beginning to become a regular for Reading, but despite the offer of a new contract, which he rejected, he was tempted by a club and manager that really wanted him and paid a figure believed to be £65,000 to secure his services.