Cameron Desmond Archer (born 9 December 2001) is an English professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
who plays as a
forward or
left winger
In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...
for club
Southampton
Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...
.
Archer is a product of the
Aston Villa Academy. He joined Aston Villa aged eight from local side
Walsall
Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located ...
and progressed through all age groups to the first team, making his senior debut in August 2019. Internationally, Archer has represented England at both
U20 U20 or U-20 may refer to:
Naval vessels
*
* , a sloop of the Royal Navy
* , a submarine of the Austro-Hungarian Navy
Other uses
* Great truncated cuboctahedron
* Meizu U20, a smartphone
* Roland U-20, a synthesizer
* Small nucleolar RNA S ...
and
U21 levels, winning the
2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship
The 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship (also known as UEFA Under-21 Euro 2023) was the 24th edition of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship (27th edition if the Under-23 era is also included), the biennial international youth Association f ...
with the latter. Archer has had loan spells at
Solihull Moors,
Preston North End
Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional association football club in Preston, Lancashire, England. They currently play in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English footbal ...
, and
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...
; and also permanently signed for
Sheffield United for one season before returning to Aston Villa after United's relegation from the Premier League. He then joined Southampton before the current season started.
Club career
Living nearby in
Walsall
Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located ...
, Archer started training with Aston Villa at the age of eight after a spell with
Walsall
Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located ...
, and progressed through their academy sides, regularly playing in higher year groups for his age. He broke into the U23 side at the age of 16 and has been a regular ever since.
Aston Villa
Archer came off the bench to make his senior debut for Villa at the age of 17 years 262 days in an
EFL Cup
The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England.
Orga ...
tie against
Crewe Alexandra
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, England. Its first team competes in League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' ...
on 27 August 2019. Villa were an invited side for
2019–20 EFL Trophy, fielding an under-21 side in the competition, Archer started in both of Villa's group matches against
Salford City and
Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers Football Club are a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system.
Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they ...
, scoring from 18-yards early in the game against Tranmere in a 2–1 defeat.
On 2 October 2020, Archer signed for
Solihull Moors in the
National League
National League often refers to:
*National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada
*National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...
on loan until January 2021. He made his debut from the subs bench the following day, in a 2–1 away defeat to
Woking
Woking ( ) is a town and borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in north-west Surrey, England, around from central London. It appears in Domesday Book as ''Wochinges'', and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settleme ...
. On 10 October 2020, Archer got his first two goals in senior league football in a 5–0 victory over
King's Lynn Town. On 4 January 2021, the loan was extended until the end of the season with no option to recall.
On 24 August 2021, Archer scored a hat-trick, his first senior goals for the club, in his first senior start, a 6–0 victory against
Barrow in the second round of the
EFL Cup
The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England.
Orga ...
. On 22 September, Archer scored against
Chelsea in the third round of the
EFL Cup
The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England.
Orga ...
in a 1–1 draw that Chelsea won on penalties 4–3. Three days later, Archer made his Premier League debut, coming on as an 86th-minute substitute in a 1–0 victory over
Manchester United
Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
at
Old Trafford
Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and is the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,197, it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after W ...
.
On 24 January 2022, Archer joined
Preston North End
Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional association football club in Preston, Lancashire, England. They currently play in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English footbal ...
on loan until the end of the season. Two days later, on 26 January, Archer scored on his debut in the
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this sys ...
, a 2–0 away victory at
West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion Football Club (), commonly known as West Brom or The Albion, is a professional association football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the Englis ...
.
In the build-up to the
2022–23 season, there was much debate about Archer's future, with a number of Championship teams linked with loan moves for the player. On 1 August 2022, Aston Villa manager
Steven Gerrard
Steven George Gerrard MBE (born 30 May 1980) is an English professional football manager and a former player. Widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of all time and one of Liverpool's greatest ever players,[Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...]
on loan until the end of the season on 6 January 2023. Archer made his Middlesbrough debut the following day, as a substitute in a 5–1
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
defeat to Premier League
Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club, commonly referred to as Brighton, is a professional football club based in Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Their home gr ...
.
Sheffield United
On 27 August 2023,
Sheffield United announced the signing of Archer on a four-year deal, after reaching an agreement with Aston Villa on an undisclosed transfer fee, which was reported to be £18m. Press reports noted that Aston Villa insisted that the transfer included a buy-back clause.
On 2 September 2023, Archer made his full debut for the club scoring the equaliser in 2–2 draw against Everton.
Return to Aston Villa
Following the confirmation of Sheffield United's relegation in May 2024, Aston Villa manager
Unai Emery
Unai Emery Etxegoien (born 3 November 1971) is a Spanish Association football, football Manager (association football), manager and former player who is the manager of Premier League club Aston Villa F.C., Aston Villa. He is widely regarded as o ...
confirmed that Archer would be re-signing with Villa once the transfer window opened in June 2024. In July 2024, Archer returned to pre-season training with Aston Villa.
Southampton
On 16 August 2024, Archer joined Premier League side
Southampton
Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...
on a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee, reported to be £15 million, plus add-ons. He made his debut for the club on 17 August 2024 in a 1–0 away defeat against
Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...
after he replaced
Ben Brereton Díaz in the 71st minute. On 28 August 2024, Archer scored a brace in a 3–5 away victory against
Cardiff City
Cardiff City Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It currently competes in , the third tier of the English football league system in the 2025–26 season following relegation. Founded in 1899 a ...
in the EFL Cup.
International career
Born in England, Archer is eligible to represent the
England national football team
The England national football team have represented England in international Association football, football since the first international match in 1872. It is controlled by the Football Association (FA), the governing body for football in Eng ...
, as well as
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...
, through his mother. On 11 November 2021, Archer made his debut for
England under-20s, in a 2–0 defeat to
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
.
On 25 May 2022, Archer received his first call up to the
England U21
The England national under-21 football team, also known as England under-21s or England U21(s), is the national under-21 association football team of England, under the control of the Football Association. It is considered to be the feeder team ...
squad ahead of the final round of
2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification
The 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying competition was a men's under-21 football competition to determine the 14 teams that would be joining the automatically qualified co-hosts Romania and Georgia in the 2023 UEFA European Under- ...
matches. He made his debut as a 68th-minute substitute during a 2–1 victory away to
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
on 3 June 2022. On 7 June 2022, Archer scored his first goal for the England U21s in a 3–0
2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification
The 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying competition was a men's under-21 football competition to determine the 14 teams that would be joining the automatically qualified co-hosts Romania and Georgia in the 2023 UEFA European Under- ...
win against
Albania
Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...
.
On 14 June 2023, Archer was included in the England squad for the
2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship
The 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship (also known as UEFA Under-21 Euro 2023) was the 24th edition of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship (27th edition if the Under-23 era is also included), the biennial international youth Association f ...
. He scored in a group stage match against
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
and also recorded the last goal of the semi-final victory over
Israel
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
. Archer came off the bench as a late substitute in the
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
as England defeated
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
to win the tournament.
Personal life
Archer is the younger brother of
Jordan McFarlane-Archer
Jordan Junior McFarlane-Archer (born 11 November 1993) is an English former professional footballer who played as a forward.
McFarlane-Archer spent his early career with a multitude of non-League clubs, including: Chasetown, Coleshill Town, ...
, a former professional footballer. Archer is known as 'Cam' and attended Christ Church CE Primary and
Walsall Academy secondary school.
Career statistics
Honours
England U21
*
UEFA European Under-21 Championship
The UEFA European Under-21 Championship, the UEFA Under-21 Championship or simply the Euro Under-21, is a biennial football competition contested by the European men's under-21 national teams of the UEFA member associations. Since 1992, the comp ...
:
2023
Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...
Individual
*
EFL Trophy
The English Football League Trophy, officially known as the Vertu Motors, Vertu Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football, football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL League Two and ...
Player of the Round (Round 1):
2021–22
*
EFL Trophy
The English Football League Trophy, officially known as the Vertu Motors, Vertu Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football, football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL League Two and ...
Top Goalscorer:
2021–22
References
External links
Cameron Archerat
Aston Villa
Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Archer, Cameron
2001 births
Living people
English men's footballers
England men's youth international footballers
English people of Jamaican descent
Sportspeople of Jamaican descent
Men's association football forwards
Black British sportsmen
21st-century Black British people
Aston Villa F.C. players
Solihull Moors F.C. players
Preston North End F.C. players
Middlesbrough F.C. players
Sheffield United F.C. players
Southampton F.C. players
National League (English football) players
Premier League players
English Football League players
England men's under-21 international footballers
Footballers from Walsall
21st-century English sportsmen