|
Full Name |
James John McAtee |
|
Date of Birth |
18 October 2002 |
|
Age (in 2026) |
23 years old |
|
Place of Birth |
Salford, England |
|
Nationality |
English |
|
Height |
1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) |
|
Weight |
67 kg |
|
Preferred Foot |
Left |
|
Position |
Attacking Midfielder / Winger |
|
Current Club |
Nottingham Forest |
|
Shirt Number |
24 |
|
Contract Until |
30 June 2030 |
|
Nickname |
Salford Silva |
|
Brother |
John McAtee (Bolton Wanderers) |
|
Net Worth |
$6 million to $10 million |
The young lad from Salford has come a long way. Born in 2002 and raised in a house where sport was basically the family business, James McAtee has quietly built one of the more interesting careers in English football. By 2026 he has settled in at Nottingham Forest, wears the number 24 shirt, and is still being talked about as one of the brightest creative midfielders to come out of the Manchester City academy in years.
Net Worth and Salary
McAtee signed a five year deal at Nottingham Forest in August 2025, and the numbers tell their own story. He takes home roughly £40,000 a week, which works out at about £2.08 million per year before any bonuses come in. Add the performance related bonuses (reportedly around £520,000 a year) and the total contract is worth somewhere in the region of £10.4 million to £13 million across the five years.
That salary makes him a comfortable mid tier earner at Forest, sitting well behind the Morgan Gibbs-White and Nikola Milenkovic bracket but ahead of plenty of squad players. Icon Polls estimates that his net worth in 2026 sits between $6 million and $10 million, factoring in his current Forest deal, the earlier earnings from Manchester City and his two Sheffield United loan spells, plus the boot deal and smaller endorsements he picked up after captaining England to the U21 Euros title.
Parents
James grew up in Walkden, a small town in the Salford area. His mum, Gillian (better known as Gill), runs a dance studio there. His dad, John McAtee Sr., played professional rugby league for clubs like St Helens and Eccles before moving on. Sport runs deep on both sides of the family.
The McAtee name actually carries some serious football weight too. On his mother's side, James is related to Alan Ball Jr., the 1966 World Cup winner, and Alan Ball Sr., the former player and manager. That makes James a great grand nephew of one of England's most decorated midfielders, which is a fun bit of trivia his teammates love to bring up.
His older brother John McAtee is a striker for Bolton Wanderers, and the two have actually played against each other in EFL Trophy games before. There is also a sister called Lucy, who stays out of the spotlight and gets on with her own life away from football.
Stats
Through the 2025/26 Premier League season at Nottingham Forest, McAtee has racked up 14 league appearances, mostly off the bench or in rotated lineups. He has registered one assist and picked up one yellow card in the league so far, while also featuring in 10 Europa League ties for Forest with a goal and an assist to his name in that competition.
Across his Manchester City career he made 18 Premier League appearances and scored three goals, which is a respectable return for someone who was always rotating in and out of a heavily stacked City midfield. His best run of senior football, though, came on loan at Sheffield United between 2022 and 2024, where he scored regularly in both the Championship and the Premier League and earned the Salford Silva nickname for the way he glides past defenders.
Internationally, he captained England U21 to the 2025 European Championship title in Slovakia, which a lot of fans see as the moment his career hit a new level.
Wife
This is where it gets short. James does not have a wife. He is reportedly in a relationship with a young woman named Loren, said to be a British university student about a year younger than him. They have been spotted together a few times but James has chosen to keep Instagram and his other socials very quiet on the relationship front. He is one of those modern players who clearly prefers to let the football do the talking.
Sofifa
For the gaming crowd, McAtee shows up on Sofifa under EA Sports FC 26 with an overall rating of 73, listed as a right midfielder. In the game he can also be used as a CAM or even a winger. His main strengths on the FC 26 player card are dribbling, short passing and ball control, while his lower rated areas are physicality and aerial duels. The Sofifa page also confirms his profile as a left footed creative midfielder, which lines up nicely with how he plays in real life.
Transfer Values
Nottingham Forest paid Manchester City around £25.5 million (€25.5 million) to sign McAtee in August 2025. At the time, a fair number of pundits thought Forest had pulled off a steal for a 22 year old with Premier League experience and the England U21 captaincy already on his CV.
His market value in 2026 sits between €19.6 million and €25.4 million across the main databases. Icon Polls projects that figure could climb closer to €35 million by the end of his current contract in 2030 if he becomes a regular starter for Forest and earns a senior England call up. There has also been quiet interest from a couple of Bundesliga and Serie A sides, although no concrete bid has been reported as of mid 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Who is James McAtee?
James McAtee is an English professional footballer born on 18 October 2002 in Salford. He plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for Premier League club Nottingham Forest and has represented England at U18, U20 and U21 levels.
2. How old is James McAtee in 2026?
James McAtee is 23 years old in 2026, having been born on 18 October 2002.
3. What is James McAtee's net worth in 2026?
Icon Polls estimates James McAtee's net worth in 2026 to be between $6 million and $10 million, based on his Nottingham Forest contract, past earnings at Manchester City and Sheffield United, and his endorsement deals.
4. How much does James McAtee earn per week?
James McAtee earns around £40,000 per week at Nottingham Forest, which works out at roughly £2.08 million per year before bonuses.
5. Who are James McAtee's parents?
His parents are John McAtee Sr., a former rugby league player who turned out for clubs like St Helens and Eccles, and Gillian McAtee, a dance teacher who runs her own studio in Walkden.
6. Does James McAtee have any siblings?
Yes. He has an older brother, John McAtee, who plays as a striker for Bolton Wanderers, and a sister called Lucy who stays out of the public eye.
7. Is James McAtee related to Alan Ball?
Yes. Alan Ball Jr., the 1966 World Cup winner, is his maternal great uncle, and Alan Ball Sr. is his maternal great grandfather.
8. What club does James McAtee play for in 2026?
He plays for Nottingham Forest, having signed from Manchester City in August 2025 on a five year deal that runs until June 2030.
9. What is James McAtee's shirt number?
He wears the number 24 shirt at Nottingham Forest.
10. What position does James McAtee play?
He is an attacking midfielder by trade but can also play as a right winger or in a deeper central midfield role.
11. How tall is James McAtee?
He stands 1.80 metres tall, or 5 feet 11 inches.
12. What is James McAtee's preferred foot?
Left. He is left footed, which is a big part of what gives him his signature dribbling style and that comparison to David Silva.
13. What is James McAtee's Sofifa rating in FC 26?
His overall rating on Sofifa for EA Sports FC 26 is 73, with dribbling and short passing standing out as his strongest attributes.
14. How much did Nottingham Forest pay for James McAtee?
Nottingham Forest paid approximately £25.5 million to Manchester City to sign McAtee in August 2025.
15. When does James McAtee's contract expire?
His current Nottingham Forest contract runs until 30 June 2030.
16. Is James McAtee married?
No, James McAtee is not married. He is reportedly in a private relationship but has made no public announcements about it.
17. Who is James McAtee's girlfriend?
He is reportedly dating a British university student named Loren. The couple is known for keeping their relationship away from social media and public attention.
18. What is James McAtee's nickname?
His nickname is Salford Silva, a nod to former Manchester City legend David Silva because of the way he glides on the ball and finds passes in tight spaces.
19. Did James McAtee win the U21 Euros?
Yes. He captained England to the 2025 UEFA European Under 21 Championship title in Slovakia, which is widely viewed as the standout moment of his career so far.
20. What clubs has James McAtee played for?
He came through the Manchester City youth academy from 2013 to 2021, played senior football for Manchester City between 2021 and 2025, had two loan spells at Sheffield United from 2022 to 2024, and joined Nottingham Forest in August 2025.
21. What is James McAtee's market value in 2026?
His market value sits between €19.6 million and €25.4 million across the major databases in 2026, with Icon Polls projecting that figure could grow significantly over the remainder of his contract.
22. Has James McAtee played for the senior England team?
Not yet. He has represented England at U18, U20 and U21 levels but, as of mid 2026, he is still waiting on his first senior call up.
23. Where was James McAtee born?
He was born in Salford, England, and grew up in nearby Walkden where his mother runs a dance studio.
24. Why is James McAtee called Salford Silva?
The nickname comes from his time in the Manchester City academy, where coaches and teammates started comparing his playing style to former City legend David Silva.
