Leigh Robert Kavanagh (born 27 December 2003) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a defender for

Bohemians Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, originally practised by 19th–20th century European and American artists and writers. * Bohemian style, a f ...

. He has represented the Republic of Ireland U17 side in 2019.

Career

Bray Wanderers

Kavanagh came through the academy at

Bray Wanderers Bray Wanderers Football Club are an Irish association football club playing in the League of Ireland First Division. The club in its present form was founded in 1942 in Bray, and was known until 2010 as ''Bray Wanderers A.F.C.'' It was elect ...

having previously played for their schoolboy feeder club St Joseph's Boys. He featured for Bray in the

League of Ireland First Division The League of Ireland First Division, also known as the SSE Airtricity League First Division for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in both the League of Ireland and the Republic of Ireland football league system. The division w ...

, prior to joining

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

in July 2020.

Brighton

During the 2020–21 season, Kavanagh suffered a tear on his miniscus while training for the Brighton youth team, which ruled him out for the remainder of the season. He signed his first professional contract with Brighton in July 2021. The following season, he joined

Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club in Derby, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. One of the 12 founder members of the English Football ...

on a season-long loan. In July 2023, he signed a new one-year contract with Brighton, with the option a further season. In December 2023, he began to be included with the Brighton first-team squad, and was named as a match-day substitute in matches in the

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

and the

Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...

Bohemians

He signed for

League of Ireland Premier Division The League of Ireland Men's Premier Division (), also known as the SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in the Republic of Ireland and the highest level of the Republic of I ...

club

in July 2024.

International career

He has been called up for the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...

at youth level.

References

Living people 2003 births Men's association football defenders Association footballers from County Dublin Republic of Ireland men's association footballers Bray Wanderers F.C. players Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. players League of Ireland players Expatriate men's footballers in England Republic of Ireland expatriate men's association footballers Republic of Ireland men's youth international footballers Irish expatriate sportspeople in England 21st-century Irish sportsmen {{Ireland-footy-defender-stub