1126 Harvey Vale

Biography

Young midfielder Harvey Vale joined Hull City in August 2022 on a season long loan, having just signed a three year contract for Premier League parent club Chelsea. He made his City debut three weeks later in faraway Swansea but was used sparingly for the remainder of the calendar year, not making another first team start until an FA Cup tie against Fulham in early January 2023. By late January the Tigers were looking to reshuffle their selection of loan players and Vale’s loan was terminated early after just 3 appearances.

Harvey James Vale was born in Haywards Heath in West Sussex and came through the junior ranks at Fulham before switching to Chelsea at the age of 13. He made his first team debut in a September 2020 EFL Trophy match against Walsall, then played in the FA Youth Cup Final in November 2020 that Chelsea lost to Manchester City. By the end of the 2020/21 season Vale was a regular starter and goalscorer for the Chelsea under-18 side and had broken into the under-23 side ahead of his 18th birthday.

Harvey’s progress continued in the 2021/22 season, making the bench for three Premier League and four Champions League matches but remaining unused. He started an EFL Trophy tie against Exeter City in August 2021 then started a League Cup Sixth Round tie against Brentford in December 2021. He came off the subs’ bench in the League Cup Semi-Final first leg against Tottenham Hotspur a month later and was used as substitute in three FA Cup ties in January and March 2022.

In August 2023 Harvey joined League One side Bristol Rovers on a season long loan and found a regular first team start, netting his first goal at the end of August 2023 against Wycombe Wanderers. Despite mouthy manager Joey Barton leaving Rovers in October 2023 Vale retained his first team place under new boss Matt Taylor and ended the season with three goals in 47 appearances. Returning to Chelsea for the 2024/25 season, he netted a brace in a September 2024 EFL Trophy match against Bromley and made two appearances in the Europa Conference League, taking his Chelsea tally to two goals in 14 appearances.

In January 2025 Harvey joined Championship side Queens Park Rangers on a long term deal but a back injury denied him his first team debut and he missed the remainder of the 2024/25 season. He made his Rs debut in August 2025 against Preston North End and scored his first goal for the club against Stoke City in September 2025. As the season wore on he became an influential part of Rangers’ midfield engine room and added eight assists to his three goals.

Vale was recognised by the England international setup as early as 2017 when he was selected for the under-15 side. He also played for England’s under-16 and under-17 sides before making his debut at under-19 level in September 2021. In June 2022 he played in four of the five matches that culminated in England winning the European Under-19 Championship Finals tournament in Slovakia – in the final Harvey captained the side and assisted one of the three goals scored against their Israeli counterparts. In September 2022 Vale made his first appearance for England’s Under-20 side against Chile, a few days after his Hull City debut, and took his Under-20 tally to 9 appearances when he played in all four England games during the Under-20 World Cup held in Argentina in May 2023.

In March 2026 he used his Irish passport, obtained through parental roots, and pledged his allegiance to the Ireland senior international team, making hsi senioopr debut later that month in a World Cup qualifying play-off against Czechia.

Details

Nationality: Ireland
Date/Place of Birth: 11 September 2003, Haywards Heath
Hull City First Game: 17 September 2022, Swansea City A (Championship), 19 years, 6 days old
Hull City Final Game: 7 January 2023, Fulham H (FA Cup Third Round), 19 years, 118 days old

Clubs

Chelsea (2020-2025), Hull City (2022-2023, loan), Bristol Rovers (2023-2024, loan), Queens Park Rangers (2025-current)

Hull City Record

Career: 3 apps, 0 goals