James Penrice is a Scottish defender born on 22nd December 1998 and currently plays primarily as a left-back for Hearts. Standing at 5ft 10in (1.78m) and weighing 11st 6lb (73kg), this number 29 jersey wearer is a key player in the team's defensive line. Transfermarkt assesses his current market value to be approximately £514k and he's secure at Hearts until 31st May 2027.
Penrice's footballing journey began in July 2015 when he joined Partick Thistle in Scotland's Championship league. Across the 2015-2016 and 2017-2018 seasons, Penrice made two appearances each in their first team league matches. In December 2016, the left-back was loaned to League Two's East Fife, where he made a notable 18 first-team appearances.
Upon completing his loan in June 2017, Penrice returned to Partick Thistle and added another two appearances to his record across the 2015-2016 and 2017-2018 seasons. In August 2017, he was loaned once again, this time to another Championship team, Livingston. During his season-long loan, Penrice scored a goal in his 13 first team appearances.
Returning to Partick Thistle in January 2018, Penrice repeated his previous stint's form with another two appearances in first-team league matches across 2015-2016 and 2017-2018. His second move to Livingston in July 2021 marked the start of a significant phase in his career. Over the next three seasons, he produced three goals from 79 appearances.
Penrice's stellar performances caught the attention of Hearts, a Premiership club. He transferred in July 2024 and has since made 11 first-team appearances in the current 2024-2025 season. Beyond his ventures in the Premiership League, Penrice has made his mark in the League Cup 2024-2025 with a start, Europa League Qualifiers 2024-2025 with two starts, and Conference League 2024-2025 with two starts and a substitute appearance for Hearts.
As his contract has more than two years to run, Hearts are bound to witness many more thrilling moments from this talented defender in the coming seasons.
