Jesse Debrah

Jesse Debrah (born 1 May 2001) is an English footballer who plays as a defender for club Port Vale.

Debrah joined Millwall at the age of ten, though he would leave the club without playing a first-team game following loan spells with Billericay Town, Eastbourne Borough and Dulwich Hamlet. He spent the first half of the 2020–21 season with Dulwich Hamlet before he joined FC Halifax Town in August 2021 and helped the club to win the FA Trophy in 2023. He signed with Port Vale in September 2023.

Early life
Jesse Debrah was born in Croydon on 1 May 2001. He grew up supporting Crystal Palace, though his parents, brother and two sisters all support different clubs.

Early career
Debrah started his career with a one-season trial at Charlton Athletic before joining Millwall at the age of ten after he had scored two goals against the club playing as a right-back. He went on to captain the under-23 team. On 13 September 2019, he joined National League South side Billericay Town on a 28-day youth loan. He was named as captain of the under-23 team by coach Kevin Nugent. Manager Neil Harris named him on the first-team substitute bench on the last home game of the 2018–19 season, a 2–1 defeat to Bristol City at The Den on 30 April.

On 13 September 2019, Debrah joined Eastbourne Borough on a 28-day youth loan after manager Lee Bradbury found himself short of defensive options. On 1 January 2020, Debrah joined Dulwich Hamlet on an initial one-month loan, which was later extended until the end of the 2019–20 season. On 29 June 2020, Millwall announced that Debrah had not been offered a new contract by manager Gary Rowett and would therefore leave the club the following day upon the expiry of his contract.

On 23 August 2020, he rejoined Dulwich Hamlet permanently. He featured in 14 games in the first half of the 2020–21 campaign. Debrah had a trial at Motherwell and played a pre-season game against Celtic, though was not offered a contract by manager Graham Alexander. He then trained with Bromely due to his friendship with manager Andy Woodman.

FC Halifax Town
On 19 August 2021, Debrah joined National League club FC Halifax Town on a short-term deal after impressing on trial. He scored on his club debut on 28 August, hitting the net from 25 yd yards in a 3–2 win at Woking; after the game, he credited coach Chris Millington and manager Pete Wild for their faith in him, as well as his faith in God. However, he found himself mainly on the substitute bench as Tom Bradbury and Niall Maher maintained a strong centre-back partnership throughout most of the 2021–22 campaign. He managed to break into the first XI as Halifax reached the play-offs on the back of a strong defence. They were, however, beaten by Chesterfield in the play-off quarter-finals. He was linked with a move to Huddersfield Town in June 2022.

He established himself as a key member of the defence in the 2022–23 season, playing 33 league games, occasionally as captain. Halifax reached the 2023 FA Trophy final at Wembley Stadium, and won the competition with a 1–0 victory over Gateshead, with Debrah playing the first 62 minutes. After the season ended he suffered a grade three hamstring injury. He rejected Halifax's offer of a new contract and was linked with a move to Barnsley, but the deal broke down.

Port Vale
On 18 September 2023, Debrah signed a two-year contract with EFL League One club Port Vale, with a compensation fee to Halifax due to be set by a tribunal after the two clubs failed to reach an agreement. He had already spent some weeks rehabilitating his hamstring injury at the club. Manager Andy Crosby said that "he will offer excellent competition in the back line", whilst both Crosby and director of football David Flitcroft praised Debrah's "infectious personality" and "drive and determination". Debrah was sent off 38 minutes into his first league start following a second yellow card in a 3–0 defeat at Bristol Rovers on 3 October. He scored his first goal for the club seven days later in a 1–1 draw with Newcastle United U21 in an EFL Trophy group stage game at Vale Park. His form dipped as the club headed towards relegation at the end of the 2023–24 season.

International career
Debrah represented Barawa, a team representing the Somali diaspora in the United Kingdom, after being called up to the 2018 CONIFA World Football Cup. He is also of Ghanaian descent. He went on to be capped for the England C team.

Style of play
Debrah was a forward throughout his youth career before being converted to centre-back as he transitioned to senior football. He was described on the Millwall website as "commanding, physical and composed".

Honours
FC Halifax Town
 * FA Trophy: 2022–23