What next for Jensen Weir?

Jensen Weir made his competitive debut for Wigan Athletic at the age of 15 in the EFL Trophy before being snapped up by Brighton in July 2020.

The Warrington-born midfielder has yet to make an appearance for the Seagulls despite being named in the senior squad by Graham Potter at the beginning of 2021.

Weir, whose dad David, also works at the AMEX made a decent impression in the Under-23 squad, yet his efforts haven’t been enough to convince current boss Roberto De Zerbi to utilise him in either the Premier League, FA Cup or Europa League.

With his Brighton contract set to expire in May 2024, Weir’s career is approaching a pivotal point and at the age of 22, he can no longer be classed as a ‘promising youngster’.

He has enjoyed several loan spells in the EFL, yet he doesn’t appear to have shown the required progress to pique the interest of Championship clubs.

Weir’s first loan spell came at the Abbey Stadium with the then-19-year old joining newly promoted Cambridge United for the duration of the campaign.

He made 15 League One appearances, finding the net once whilst also claiming an assist against one of his future employers, Morecambe FC.

Sadly, his spell was prematurely ended by a frustrating knee injury at the beginning of 2022, which ruled him out for the remainder of the campaign. He returned to West Sussex to continue his treatment.

Having netted against the Shrimps, Weir pitched up at the Globe Arena in July 2022 on a season-long loan. Although he was dismissed on his debut for picking up a couple of yellow cards in the Carabao Cup, he soon found his groove in the north west and fired in an impressive ten goals in 43 appearances.

With a further five assists to his name, Weir was viewed as a real threat and was attracting admiring glances from a number of opposition managers.

Unlike his previous loan spell at Cambridge, Weir was one of the first names on the team-sheet and missed just three games for the struggling Shrimps.

Although there was plenty of speculation surrounding Weir’s next move, the midfielder remained in League One and joined promotion-hopefuls Blackpool FC at the beginning of August 2023.

Weir wouldn’t have been short of potential suitors, however, it was decided that Neil Critchley’s Tangerines was a suitable destination.

Not only was he able to remain in a similar region and close to his birthplace, but the Seasiders’ style of player under the former Liverpool academy coach was deemed a perfect match for Weir’s neat and progressive style of play.

The Lancashire club had been priced up as one of the favourites for promotion by many of the best football betting sites having made some impressive summer signings including Ollie Norburn and Albie Morgan.

Unfortunately, the club’s existing midfielders proved frustratingly consistent and Weir was unable to force his way into the XI with any kind of regularity.

Although many Blackpool supporters had very few criticisms of Weir’s fleeting performances, he wasn’t viewed as dynamic enough to make a significant impression and his loan spell was cut short at the end of December.

At the beginning of 2024, Weir made his way to Staffordshire to sign up for Port Vale. As of February 7th, he has made three appearances for the Valiants and has quietly impressed.

He is yet to register a shot on goal, however, his passing accuracy numbers has been eyecatching with 79% of his balls reaching their intended target against Leyton Orient on February 6th.

Unfortunately, Vale boss Andy Crosby has recently been relieved of his duties and the club have failed to score a single goal in Weir’s first 248 minutes of action.

He will be hoping that Crosby’s successor continues to give him regular starts and he can help fire his temporary employers to League One safety.

Weir’s best spell was at Morecambe, however, with the cash-strapped Shrimps currently competing in the fourth tier, they appear to be an unlikely destination for the midfielder.

Although he still has time on his side, the 22-year old needs to step up and start to dictate matches if he is to either secure a dream move to the Championship or be handed a new contract by Albion.

The midfielder clearly has potential and has shown his ability in flashes. As a settled and a regular starter in a League One side, he is able to impact matches, however, he needs to show it on a more consistent basis.

As well as adding a physical edge to his game, he must also rediscover his goal-scoring prowess if he is to take the next step in his promising career.