James Andrew Cumming (born 4 September 1999) is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for EFL Championship club Oxford United.
A product of the Chelsea academy, Cumming signed his first professional contract with the club in 2018. He spent the 2020âÂÂ21 season on loan at Stevenage, his first season of regular first-team football. After a loan spell at Gillingham during the first half of the 2021âÂÂ22 season, he joined Milton Keynes Dons in January 2022, making 77 appearances across two loan spells. Cumming joined Oxford United on loan in January 2024, helping the club achieve promotion to the Championship via the play-offs before signing permanently in June 2024.
Cumming joined Chelsea at the age of eight, progressing through the club's academy system to become first-choice goalkeeper for the under-17 team in 2017âÂÂ18. That season, he made two EFL Trophy appearances for the under-21s and featured regularly in the UEFA Youth League, saving three penalties in a semi-final penalty shoot-out win against Porto. He signed his first professional contract with Chelsea in November 2018, keeping him contracted to the club until the end of the 2020âÂÂ21 season. Cumming went on to make 11 EFL Trophy appearances over the following three seasons. He was named on the substitutes' bench in Chelsea's 4âÂÂ1 UEFA Europa League Final victory over Arsenal in Baku on 29 May 2019.
Cumming joined League Two club Stevenage on a season-long loan on 17 August 2020, marking his first spell of senior football. He made his professional debut in a 3âÂÂ3 EFL Cup draw with Portsmouth on 29 August 2020, which Stevenage lost 3âÂÂ1 on penalties, and made his league debut in a 1âÂÂ1 draw with Barrow on 12 September 2020. He went on to make 47 appearances in all competitions, registering 18 clean sheets as Stevenage finished the season with the third-best defensive record in League Two.
Ahead of the 2021âÂÂ22 season, Cumming joined League One club Gillingham on a season-long loan on 26 July 2021. He debuted for Gillingham in a 1âÂÂ1 home draw with Lincoln City on 7 August 2021, and made 22 appearances during the first half of the season before being recalled by Chelsea on 13 January 2022.
On the same day as his loan recall was officially announced, Cumming joined Milton Keynes Dons for the remainder of the 2021âÂÂ22 season. He made his debut two days later in a 2âÂÂ1 away victory against Portsmouth. Cumming made 23 appearances during the campaign, keeping 10 clean sheets as MK Dons finished third in League One. He returned to the club for a second loan spell on 9 July 2022, joining for the 2022âÂÂ23 season. Cumming made 54 appearances during a season that ended in relegation to League Two, and was named both the club's Player of the Year and Players' Player of the Year at their end-of-season awards ceremony.
Having been included in Chelsea's pre-season tour of the United States ahead of the 2023âÂÂ24 season, Cumming joined League One club Oxford United on a six-month loan on 11 January 2024. He became the club's first-choice goalkeeper during the second half of the season, making 23 appearances, including three in the 2024 League One play-offs, as Oxford secured promotion to the Championship with a 2âÂÂ0 victory over Bolton Wanderers in the final at Wembley Stadium on 18 May 2024.
He signed for Oxford on a permanent basis on 27 June 2024, having impressed the management team during his loan spell with his development and composure in high-pressure situations. He made 45 appearances during the 2024âÂÂ25 season, keeping 13 clean sheets, as Oxford finished 17th in the Championship. He signed a new long-term contract on 30 June 2025, stating the high standards within Oxford's goalkeeping department had continued to drive his improvement.
Cumming received his first international call-up in March 2016 for the England under-17 team during the UEFA European under-17 Championship elite qualifying round. He played in the final two group matches as England advanced to the tournament proper. He later represented the England under-19 team, earning one cap in a 2âÂÂ0 defeat to Macedonia in a UEFA European under-19 Championship qualifying match on 27 March 2018.
Chelsea
Oxford United
Individual