Player Profile

A graduate of hipster favourites Dulwich Hamlet and their Aspire Academy, Southwark born Jaiyesimi was signed by Norwich City in 2016 and spent time on loan at Grimsby and Yeovil before joining Town on loan for the 2019/20 season.

An attacking player with the ability to play wide or through the middle, Jaiyesimi’s ability with the ball at his feet was his primary attribute - with exceptional close control rarely seen in a red shirt since the days of Mark Walters. A surprisingly powerful physical presence, Jaiyesimi was also used as a central forward although he looked most comfortable playing off a frontman on the left wing or in the number 10 role.

The form of Lloyd Isgrove meant that DJ had to wait to establish himself in the Town team, but when the Welshman suffered an injury he stepped up from the bench and became a regular presence in the starting eleven from the new year up until the suspension of the season due to the coronavirus pandemic - the first goal in a crucial away victory over Plymouth Argyle amongst his four strikes that season, as the Town sealed the League Two title.

At the end of his loan spell, most Town fans felt Jaiyesimi was destined for a higher level, but after his surprising release from Norwich, he signed for Town on a three-year contract despite interest from bigger clubs. At the time, it felt like something of a coup and so it proved, with DJ being one of the few Town players to thrive at the higher level, including a two-goal performance in a televised clash at Ipswich Town - a game best remembered for the other Town goal, a long range thunderbolt from Scott Twine.

By now firmly established as one of Town’s best players and one of their few assets on a long contract, it should perhaps have come as less of a shock to jaded Town fans that he was stunningly sold to Charlton on the final day of the January transfer window. The disappointment was doubled as Arsenal loanee and key midfielder Matt Smith also moved to the Valley on the same day. It was later revealed that the Addicks had met a release clause in Jaiyesimi’s contract.

With a long and disappointing history of selling star players in January before being relegated, Jaiyesimi’s sale proved to be another example - with John Sheridan’s Town returning to League Two without much of a fight.

Playing Record

Senior

Career details

Club	Details
Dulwich Hamlet Dulwich	2012 (youth) cs 2015 ; transferred out (January 14th, 2016)
Norwich City Norwich City	January 14th, 2016 (transferred in, undisclosed fee); released (rptd June 26th, 2020)
Grimsby Town Grimsby Town	August 9th, 2017 (loan); expired (2017/8)
Yeovil Town Yeovil Town	July 1st, 2018 (announced June 20th, 2018) (loan); contract terminated (rptd January 31st, 2019)
Swindon Town Swindon	August 2nd, 2019 (loan); expired (rptd June 23rd, 2020)
Swindon Town Swindon	July 27th, 2020 (unattached); transferred out (February 1st, 2021)
Charlton Athletic Charlton Athletic	February 1st, 2021 (transferred in, undisclosed fee); released (rptd May 3rd, 2024)
AFC Wimbledon Wimbledon	January 31st, 2023 (loan); expired (rptd May 9th, 2023)
St. Johnstone St. Johnstone	September 1st, 2023 (loan); expired (rptd May 31st, 2024)