Wolves star Jordan James immediately phoned his dad after receiving a life-changing text | OneFootball

Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Jordan James will always look back on one moment fondly as he looks to take his career to the next level.

Wolves officially announced the signing of Jordan James, with the midfielder arriving from French side Rennes.

James spent the 2025/26 season out on loan at Leicester, where he netted 11 goals and registered four assists across a year in which the Foxes dropped down to League One.

Now, the Wales international is back on loan in the Midlands, this time with an option to buy next summer, taking the total package to around £10 million.

The 22-year-old picked up the EFL Young Player of the Year award at the end of last season and is aiming to further kick on as Wolves strive for a Premier League return.

Looking back on his short career, James will look back on one moment that can be pinpointed as a real turning point.

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In October 2022, James would receive his first senior Wales call-up, having initially expected to represent the under-21 side.

Speaking to Sky Sports shortly afterwards, the then-Birmingham City midfielder said an injury elsewhere created an opportunity, and that he was sitting alone in his car when the message arrived.

Immediately, he called his father, describing it as "probably the best moment of my life."

"He's from Cwmbran," added James. "For him it was massive because it's what he dreamed of doing himself when he was a kid. He was my role model growing up and played when I was really young. I used to go to every game, and that's how I first got started. So to see it happen to me, he was so happy."

At just 18, James would finish the 2022/23 campaign with 37 appearances for Birmingham under his belt, before his eight Championship goals a year later prompted the move to Ligue 1 outfit Rennes.

The call-up to Robert Page's squad was one thing James will never forget, but the experience itself was something he noted.

"It was all a bit of a rush to get in. And it was overwhelming at first speaking to those guys," said the midfielder in 2022, mentioning the older guard within the camp.

"I think there's a video of [Gareth Bale] coming up and shaking me and Luke Harris's hands. It was a bit mad seeing someone you've watched growing up on TV, being known as one of the best players in the world, come and talk to you.

"You've seen what he's done for the country, and just for me being a part of that was something I've dreamed of."

At this stage of his career, James has picked up 26 Wales caps, scoring once as Craig Bellamy's side beat Liechtenstein in November 2025.

After a talismanic campaign at Leicester, the 22-year-old is in need of the next step, after never making the desired impact in France.

Why the 2026-27 season is so important for Jordan James

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In the 2022 interview, James mentioned learning from players of Bale's ilk.

Of course, that level of supreme talent is hard for any player across the globe to hit, but the young midfielder more than showed his ability to take on a talismanic role at the King Power Stadium last term.

In a relegated side, his output was magnificent, with a lovely collection of goals from range showcasing his willingness to take charge in the middle.

As talented as he is, though, an unwanted record of two relegations hangs over his head, having suffered twice at Birmingham and Leicester.

Wolves are one of the instant favourites to go back up, but so were Leicester following their Championship return.

If the 22-year-old is to perform at the same level as last term, in a side fighting at the top end of the division, his career could finally skyrocket in the way imagined after that first Wales call-up in 2022.

A midfielder with bags of ability, the next step for James is to prove that in a team desperate to seal an immediate top-flight return.