James Patrick Bree

James Bree's route to Southampton ran through three different clubs and two loan spells. Born in Wakefield, he came through the Barnsley academy and made his professional debut in May 2014, going on to make 61 appearances for the club and winning the Football League Trophy in the 2015–16 season before Aston Villa paid a fee described as substantial, reportedly around £4 million, to sign him in January 2017.

Villa never gave him a settled run in the first team. He was loaned out twice, first to Ipswich Town in January 2019 for 14 appearances, then to Luton Town for the 2019–20 season, where he played 42 times. When his Villa contract expired, Luton moved to sign him permanently on a free transfer in September 2020. That spell became the longest of his career: 143 appearances and two goals across three seasons.

Southampton paid a reported £750,000 for him in January 2023, and he became part of the squad that won the EFL Championship play-offs in 2024. Bree spent the 2025–26 season away from St Mary's on loan at Charlton Athletic, making 21 league appearances and scoring twice before returning to Southampton, where he signed a contract extension in June 2026.