Jensen Weir

Jensen Guy Weir (born 31 January 2002) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Brighton & Hove Albion.

Weir began his career at Wigan Athletic, becoming the club's youngest ever player upon making his debut in November 2017. He was sold to Brighton & Hove Albion for a fee of £500,000 in July 2020. He was loaned out to Cambridge United for the 2021–22 season, though he missed the second half of the campaign with a knee injury. He spent the 2022–23 season on loan at Morecambe and was loaned to Blackpool and Port Vale in the 2023–24 season.

His father, David, represented Scotland at international level. Weir initially represented Scotland at under-16 and under-17 levels before he switched to play for England – the country of his birth, representing them at under-17, under-18 and under-20 levels.

Early and personal life
Born in Warrington, his father is former Scotland international footballer David Weir. His brother, Lucas, played semi-professional football for 1874 Northwich. His sister, Kenzie, played for Everton women.

Wigan Athletic
Weir joined Wigan Athletic aged eight. He made his senior debut at the DW Stadium on 7 November 2017, in an EFL Trophy game against Accrington Stanley, becoming the club's youngest ever player, at the age of 15 years and 280 days. He made his league debut in a Championship game at Birmingham City on 27 April 2019, coming on as a second half substitute for Nick Powell. He turned professional at the club three months later. Upon Weir's departure from Wigan, Academy manager Gregor Rioch said that his sale would guarantee the immediate future of the club amidst administration and that he would also be a role model for other youth-team players to follow. First-team manager Paul Cook resigned less than a week after Weir was sold.

Brighton & Hove Albion
On 23 July 2020, Weir was sold to Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion for £500,000 plus add-ons to help alleviate Wigan's financial problems; he signed a three-year deal with Brighton. His father was working as the club's loan player manager at the time. He played alongside player-coach Andrew Crofts for the under-23 team, who was impressed by his ability and work ethic. Head coach Graham Potter named him in a matchday squad for the first time for the senior side on 3 February 2021, though he remained an unused substitute in a 1–0 win at Liverpool. He scored four goals in 18 Professional Development League games for Simon Rusk's under-23 team in the 2020–21 season, including a brace against Manchester United.

Cambridge United (loan)
On 13 July 2021, Weir joined newly-promoted League One side Cambridge United on a season-long loan deal. Mark Bonner played him alongside defensive anchor Paul Digby, with Weir and Wes Hoolahan expected to provide creativity going forward. Weir made his debut at the Abbey Stadium on 10 August, starting in the EFL Cup first round tie with Swindon Town where Cambridge won 3–1 on penalties after a goalless draw in the 90 minutes of play. Four days later, he made his league debut for the U's, starting and playing 61 minutes before being replaced by Adam May in a 2–1 defeat at Accrington Stanley. He went on to be moved further forward to play behind the striker in United's 4–2–3–1 formation, gaining more attacking freedom. Weir scored his first senior goal on 30 October, scoring the only goal of the game in a 1–0 home victory over AFC Wimbledon. Weir made his final appearance for the U's on 18 December, in a 1–0 home loss against Rotherham, as a knee injury kept him on the sidelines for the rest of the 2021–22 season.

Morecambe (loan)
On 25 July 2022, Weir returned to League One on a season-long loan deal to Morecambe. He was sent off after picking up two yellow cards on his Shrimps home debut and second appearance in the eventual penalty shoot-out win over Stoke City of the Championship in the EFL Cup on 9 August. He was nominated for the League One Goal of the Month for a long-range strike against Bristol Rovers in September. He enjoyed an excellent season at the Mazuma Stadium, leaving manager Derek Adams to fend off speculation of him being recalled to Brighton early from his loan. Weir scored 11 goals in 51 appearances, though Morecambe were relegated after finishing two points from safety.

Blackpool (loan)
On 11 August 2023, Weir returned to League One again, joining recently-relegated Blackpool on a season-long loan. Weir was praised by Blackpool boss Neil Critchley. He found game time limited, however, in his sixteen appearances for the club – providing three assists, starting just four league games, and was recalled from his loan on 1 January 2024.

Port Vale (loan)
On 9 January 2024, Weir was loaned out to League One side Port Vale for the remainder of the 2023–24 season. David Flitcroft, the club's director of football, stated that he had attempted to sign Weir in the summer but that he would now provide midfield options following the departure of loanee Ollie Arblaster and injuries to Funso Ojo and Ben Garrity. He mainly featured from the substitute bench under new manager Darren Moore.

International career
Weir has played for Scotland at under-16 and under-17 level, captaining the under-16 team. In October 2018 he was called up by England under-17s, and made his debut during the 3–0 victory over Russia. In April 2019, Weir was included in the England squad for the 2019 UEFA European Under-17 Championship. He made his under-18 debut in a 3–2 victory over Australia at Leicester Road on 6 September 2019. On 6 September 2021, Weir made a goalscoring debut for the England under-20s during a 6–1 victory over Romania at St. George's Park.

Style of play
Weir is a right-footed attacking midfielder with pace and creativity. He also has an excellent temperament, and his learning capacity allows him to play various roles.