James Wright is a young goalkeeper who signed his first professional contract with the club in July 2022, having joined as a scholar two years prior, signing from Manchester City. 

Wright was a member of Villa's Under-21s side which lifted the Birmingham Senior Cup in 2024, having signed a new deal at the beginning of the year. 

Unai Emery included Wright in his first-team squad for a pre-season tour of the USA that summer, having appeared on the first-team bench throughout the 2023/24 season. 

The following season, Wright would head out on the first loan of his career, joining up with Real Unión in Spain. While in the Basque Country, alongside Villa team-mate Finley Munroe, Wright appeared 33 times in all competitions, keeping eight clean sheets.