Josh Oluwayemi

Josh Oluwayemi joined the Wellington Phoenix in August 2024 from Finnish club FC Lahti on a one-year contract.

The English-Nigerian goalkeeper came through the youth system at Tottenham Hotspur and played for their under-18 and under-23 sides before leaving the Premier League club in 2022 in search of first team football.

Oluwayemi, 23, played nine matches for Portsmouth in League One and in the EFL Trophy during the 2022-23 season, recording four clean sheets before being loaned to Chelmsford City in National League South.

He played 19 matches for Chelmsford City in the first half of the 2023-24 National League South season and kept six clean sheets.

Oluwayemi then joined FC Lahti in Finland’s Veikkausliiga at the start of 2024 and went on to start 14 matches, recording two clean sheets.

He represented England at under-15 level and was called up to Nigeria’s national team as a 20-year-old in 2021.

> 2024-25 season

Josh Oluwayemi made his Wellington Phoenix debut against Western United in round one and kept a clean sheet the following week in 2-0 win over Perth Glory, earning himself a one-year contract extension.

Oluwayemi was in goal for the team’s first 11 matches of the season and kept a further two clean sheets.

Hei was replaced by Alby Kelly-Heald for the next eight matches before returning to the starting XI for the final seven games when Kelly-Heald suffered a season-ending shoulder injury.

Oluwayemi finished with the second best save percentage (74.3%) in the A-League and, despite playing just 18 matches, led all goalkeepers in saves made (84).