Josh McEachran joined Bristol Rovers from Oxford United in June 2024 on a two-year contract.
Born in Oxford, McEachran signed for Chelsea's academy aged seven and helped the Blues with the FA Youth Cup for the first time in 50 years during the 2009/10 campaign. The young prospect travelled with the senior squad for the first time for their game against Blackburn Rovers in the League Cup in December 2009 and continued to train with the first team for the first half of 2010.
McEachran then broke into the senior squad the following campaign. The Englishman debuted off the bench in Chelsea's 4-1 Champions League victory over MŠK Žilina, making him the first player born after the creation of the tournament to feature in it. Playing 17 matches in his debut campaign, including nine in the Premier League, McEachran was named Chelsea's Young Player Of The Year.
However, McEachran could not continue the momentum he gained in the following campaign under new manager André Villas-Boas, only making five appearances in all competitions before going out on loan to fellow Premier League outfit Swansea City.
He played five times for the Swans under Brendan Rodgers, whom he had worked alongside at Chelsea, before going on three separate Championship loan moves. The midfielder made 38 appearances for Middlesbrough in the 2012/13 campaign before making two separate loan moves to Watford and Wigan Athletic in the following campaign.
McEachran then went on his fourth successive loan from Chelsea, appearing 15 times for Vitesse in the Eredivisie during the 2014-15 campaign. He then departed Chelsea permanently in July 2015 for Brentford. McEachran remained at the Bees for four seasons, making 101 appearances in all competitions before switching to Birmingham City. However, a cruciate ligament injury derailed his time at Blues, where he only played ten times.
McEachran switched to Milton Keynes Dons in March 2021 and made exactly 100 appearances in all competitions before going to fellow Sky Bet League One team Oxford United. It was a fantastic first season for the midfielder, who helped the U's gain promotion to the Sky Bet Championship after they beat Bolton Wanderers in the play-offs. The 32-year-old played 12 times in the Championship last term.
On the international stage, McEachran played 38 times for England at youth level and was part of the side that won the European Under-17 Championship in 2010.
