.jpg) Amari'i Bell in 2025 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Amari'i Kyren Bell[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1994-05-05)5 May 1994 (age 31)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Burton upon Trent, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[3] | ||
| Position | Left back[4] | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Charlton Athletic | ||
| Number | 17 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| West Bromwich Albion | |||
| –2011 | Solihull Moors | ||
| 2011–2012 | Birmingham City | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2012–2015 | Birmingham City | 1 | (0) |
| 2013 | →Nuneaton Town (loan) | 8 | (0) |
| 2013 | →Nuneaton Town (loan) | 11 | (0) |
| 2014 | →Kidderminster Harriers (loan) | 10 | (2) |
| 2014 | →Mansfield Town (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 2014–2015 | →Swindon Town (loan) | 10 | (0) |
| 2015 | →Gillingham (loan) | 7 | (0) |
| 2015–2018 | Fleetwood Town | 115 | (6) |
| 2018–2021 | Blackburn Rovers | 90 | (3) |
| 2021–2025 | Luton Town | 137 | (2) |
| 2025– | Charlton Athletic | 13 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2021– | Jamaica | 29 | (2) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 17:10, 1 November 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 07:10, 11 October 2025 (UTC) | |||
Amari'i Kyren Bell (born 5 May 1994) is a professionalfootballer is aleft back who plays forEFL Championship clubCharlton Athletic and theJamaica national team.
Bell joinedBirmingham City's Academy in 2011 and turned professional the following year. He spent timeon loan atConference Premier clubNuneaton Town in the first half of the 2013–14 season before making hisFootball League debut for Birmingham in January 2014. Later that season he returned to the Conference Premier withKidderminster Harriers. After a loan spell atLeague Two clubMansfield Town at the start of the 2014–15 season was cut short, Bell spent three months withLeague One clubSwindon Town before joining another League One club,Gillingham, also on loan, in March 2015. He was released by Birmingham at the end of the 2014–15 season and signed forFleetwood Town of League One. He spent two and a half seasons with Fleetwood, making 137 appearances, before moving on toBlackburn Rovers in January 2018. After three and a half seasons, 99 appearances, and a promotion to the Championship, he signed for Luton Town in 2021 and helped them gain promotion to thePremier League in 2023.
He was released by Luton Town following the conclusion of the 2024–25 campaign.
Bell was born in England and has played international football forJamaica, for which he qualifies by descent. He represented Jamaica at the2021 and2023 CONCACAF Gold Cups and the2024 Copa América.
Bell was born inBurton upon Trent, Staffordshire,[5] and raised in theQuinton district ofBirmingham, where he attendedFour Dwellings High School.[6] As a youngster he was in the youth system atWest Bromwich Albion before moving on toSolihull Moors,[7] and he joinedBirmingham City's academy in 2011.[5] In June 2012, Bell signed a one-year professional contract.[8] He played regularly for the development squad during the 2012–13 season, and was rewarded with another one-year contract, with the option of a further year.[5]
In July 2013, Bell joinedConference Premier clubNuneaton Town on loan until the following January.[9] He made his debut in the opening match of the season, a 1–0 win atMacclesfield Town, playing at left wing-back. According to the local newspaper, he "shone",[10] though the player himself was more critical, recognising the need to minimise errors such as "a bit at the end where I took a poor touch and they could have scored from it."[11] He kept his place in the starting eleven as Nuneaton went unbeaten for the first nine matches, apart from one match missed with a dead leg,[12][13] but was suddenly recalled by his parent club on 20 September.[14]
Bell was given asquad number, and was considered for a defensive role ahead of Birmingham's third roundLeague Cup match againstSwansea City on 25 September, withKyle Bartley ineligible andDavid Murphy rested after returning only recently from long-term injury.[15] He played no part in the match, not even as an unused substitute, and returned to Nuneaton a couple of days later.[16] Bell re-established himself at left back, playing a further eleven times in the Conference Premier and once in theFA Cup,[12] before Birmingham recalled him again on 9 December after starting left-backMitch Hancox damaged a knee and with Murphy again unfit.[17]
He was included among the substitutes for Birmingham's next match, a 2–0 win away toAFC Bournemouth, but remained unused.[18] Bell made his first-team debut on 28 January 2014, starting at left back againstChampionship leadersLeicester City as a late replacement for Hancox who had injured an ankle. He played the whole of the 2–1 defeat.[19]
That was his last first-team appearance before he joined Conference Premier clubKidderminster Harriers on 6 March 2014, on a youth loan until the end of the season.[20] For the second time that season, he made his club debut in a win against Macclesfield, on this occasion as a stoppage-time substitute as Kidderminster held on to a 2–1 lead.[21] On 15 April, he scored his first goal in senior football to open the scoring in a 2–0 win againstCambridge United.[12]
Ahead of the 2014–15 season, Bell signed forLeague Two clubMansfield Town on loan until January 2015,[22] but was recalled only three matches into the campaign having failed to get any playing time.[23] On 26 September 2014, he joinedSwindon Town ofLeague One on a youth loan until 3 January 2015.[24] He hoped to regain self-belief by playing matches as part of a confident team, and went straight into the starting eleven for Swindon's 3–0 win away toBarnsley.[25] Bell started six matches during October, displacingLiverpool loaneeBrad Smith,[26] but then lost his place to another loanee,Harry Toffolo,[27] and for the remainder of his time with the club was used mainly as a late substitute or not at all.[28]
In March 2015, Bell joined League OneGillingham on loan until the end of the season.[29] He went straight into the starting eleven in place of the injuredJoe Martin for the match againstColchester United, which Gillingham drew 2–2,[30] and started the next five matches, but then lost his place and made only one more appearance, as a very late substitute.[31]
Birmingham decided not to take up their option of a further year on Bell's contract, and confirmed he would be released.[32] Despite reported interest from Gillingham,[33] Bell agreed to join League One clubFleetwood Town on 1 July 2015 after the expiry of his Birmingham contract.[7] He went straight into the side at left wing back. In his fourth match, a 4–3 win away toBury, he provided theassist for his fellow wing-backTyler Hornby-Forbes' first Football League goal,[34] and in the following match, he set up two goals in a 4–0 defeat of Colchester United.[35] Assistant managerChris Lucketti was impressed with both Bell and Hornby-Forbes: "with their athleticism, their attitude, their will to win and the running power they have they were different class – it turned the tide in our favour."[36]
Fleetwood form and results dipped,Graham Alexander was replaced as manager bySteven Pressley, and Bell himself was struggling: after a home defeat againstChesterfield at the end of October, theBlackpool Gazette wrote that "Bell's shortcomings at left back are becoming more difficult to ignore",[37] while Pressley said he needed more self-belief.[38] He helped Fleetwood reach the Northern Final of theFootball League Trophy, but missed his penalty as they lost toBarnsley in ashootout.[39] By March 2016, Pressley was suggesting that Bell had the attributes to play at the top level, highlighting his pace, athleticism and ability in a one-to-one situation but also his need to work on crossing,[40] an issue raised by the player himself early in the season.[35] He made 51 appearances in all competitions as Fleetwood narrowly avoided relegation to League Two, and was one of a four-man shortlist for the club's Young Player of the Year awards, but lost out toAshley Hunter.[41][42]
He missed some of the 2016–17 pre-season with a hamstring problem,[43] but that did not prevent Bell becoming a first-team regular under yet another new manager,Uwe Rösler. Being used at wing-back rather than full-back helped his attacking ambitions, and he scored his first goal for Fleetwood in his 71st match, anFA Cup replay againstSouthport on 15 November 2016, and his second in the league the following week.[44][45] In the January 2017 transfer window, there was interest in Bell from clubs includingBrighton & Hove Albion,[46]Crystal Palace andWest Ham United. Rösler said that Bell had added consistency to his game, and would do better staying at Fleetwood until at least the end of the season, "to reach another level. He does not want to go to a football club and be a sub. He wants to be bought for a lot of money and go right in there as their left-back."[47] He did stay, and contributed a late equaliser against Charlton that kept Fleetwood's run going on its way to 18 matches unbeaten.[48][49] He ended the season with 53 appearances, taking his total for Fleetwood to 104, as they reached and lost toBradford City in theplay-offs.[50]
Bell's Fleetwood contract was due to expire at the end of the 2017–18 season, and he was unlikely to sign a new one. In the January transfer window, Fleetwood agreed terms for his transfer to another League One club,Blackburn Rovers, and the player signed on 19 January 2018 on a two-and-a-half-year contract. The fee was undisclosed, but understood bySky Sports to be in the region of £300,000.[51][52] He contributed to their promotion to and establishment in the Championship over what became a three-and-a-half-year stay, during which he made 99 appearances in all competitions.[53] Bell left Blackburn Rovers when his contract expired at the end of the 2020–21 season.[54]
Bell agreed a contract with another Championship club,Luton Town, to begin on 1 July 2021 when he became a free agent.[55]
On 9 May 2025, the club announced Bell would be released in June when his contract expired.[56]
On 4 July 2025, Bell joinedCharlton Athletic on a two-year deal.[57]
In May 2019, Bell received an invitation to play for theJamaican national team, ahead to team selection for the2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup in July,[58] but he withdrew through injury. He qualified for Jamaica because his grandparents are from that country.[59]
In March 2021 he was one of six uncapped English-born players to receive a call-up.[60] This time, he was able to accept, and made his debut in the starting eleven for thefriendly against theUnited States in Austria on 25 March 2021. He played the whole match, which Jamaica lost 4–1.[61] He was a member of the squad for the2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup, and played inall three group matches,[1] but not in the quarter-final defeat by the United States.[62]
Bell scored his first international goal on 9 July 2023 in a 1–0 win overGuatemala in the quarterfinals of the2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup.[63]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Birmingham City | 2013–14[64] | Championship | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2014–15[31] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| Nuneaton Town (loan) | 2013–14[12] | Conference Premier | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | |
| Kidderminster Harriers (loan) | 2013–14[12] | Conference Premier | 10 | 2 | — | — | — | 10 | 2 | |||
| Mansfield Town (loan) | 2014–15[31] | League Two | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Swindon Town (loan) | 2014–15[31] | League One | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1[a] | 0 | 11 | 0 | |
| Gillingham (loan) | 2014–15[31] | League One | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | 7 | 0 | |||
| Fleetwood Town | 2015–16[41] | League One | 44 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5[a] | 0 | 51 | 0 |
| 2016–17[50] | League One | 44 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2[b] | 0 | 53 | 3 | |
| 2017–18[65] | League One | 27 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 33 | 4 | |
| Total | 115 | 6 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 137 | 7 | ||
| Blackburn Rovers | 2017–18[65] | League One | 12 | 0 | — | — | — | 12 | 0 | |||
| 2018–19[66] | Championship | 38 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 43 | 3 | ||
| 2019–20[67] | Championship | 21 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 22 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21[68] | Championship | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 22 | 0 | ||
| Total | 90 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 99 | 3 | |||
| Luton Town | 2021–22[69] | Championship | 41 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[d] | 0 | 46 | 1 |
| 2022–23[70] | Championship | 44 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3[d] | 0 | 51 | 1 | |
| 2023–24[71] | Premier League | 21 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 27 | 0 | ||
| 2024–25[72] | Championship | 31 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 33 | 0 | ||
| Total | 137 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 157 | 2 | ||
| Charlton Athletic | 2025–26[73] | Championship | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 13 | 0 | |
| Career total | 402 | 13 | 29 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 455 | 14 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jamaica | 2021 | 5 | 0 |
| 2022 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2024 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 8 | 1 | |
| Total | 29 | 2 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 July 2023 | TQL Stadium,Cincinnati, United States |  Guatemala | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 2 | 24 June 2025 | Q2 Stadium,Austin, United States |  Panama | 1–2 | 1–4 | 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
Blackburn Rovers
Luton Town
Individual
Jamaica squads | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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