# Aaron Tshibola

Aaron Tshibola (born 2 January 1995) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder who plays for Greek Super League club Lamia. Born in London, he came through the youth ranks at Reading before moving to Aston Villa in 2016. He represented England at U18 level in 2013 but has since been called up by DR Congo and played in a friendly match for the side in March 2018. He has had loan spells at English Football League sides Hartlepool United, Nottingham Forest and Milton Keynes Dons, as well as Scottish Premiership side Kilmarnock. He has also played in Belgium for Waasland Beveren and in Portugal for Aves.

## Early life

Tshibola was born in the London Borough of Newham in England.

## Club career
### Reading

Tshibola joined Reading's academy at age thirteen and signed his first professional deal with the club in March 2011. While in the Reading Academy, Tshibola went on trial with Manchester United.
Ahead of the 2014–15 season, Tshibola signed a new contract with Reading, keeping him at the club until 2016. Then on 23 August 2014, he made his professional debut as an 86th-minute substitute in a Championship fixture against Nottingham Forest.
On 9 September 2015, Tshibola extended his contract with Reading until the summer of 2019.
On 2 January 2015, he moved to League Two side Hartlepool United on a one-month loan deal, before making his debut the next day in a 1–0 loss against Wycombe Wanderers. His first four appearances at the club earned Tshibola a loan extension until the end of the season. His loan spell extension led manager Ronnie Moore to thank Tshibola for his commitment at Hartlepool United. He was then awarded Man of the match, in a 3–2 win over Plymouth Argyle after an impressive performance when he assisted one of the goals in the game.

### Aston Villa

On 10 July 2016, Tshibola moved to Aston Villa on a four-year contract, for an undisclosed fee. He scored his first goal for the club in a 1–1 draw with Newcastle United on 24 September 2016. On 30 January 2017, Tshibola moved to Nottingham Forest on loan for the remainder of the 2016–17 season.
On 27 July 2017, Tshibola joined EFL League One side Milton Keynes Dons on a season-long loan deal. He scored his first goal for MK Dons in an EFL Trophy tie against Brighton & Hove Albion Under-23s on 29 August 2017. On 9 November 2017, he returned to Aston Villa following the mutual termination of his loan with Milton Keynes Dons.

### Kilmarnock

Tshibola was loaned to Scottish Premiership club Kilmarnock in January 2018, working under his former Reading manager Steve Clarke. He made his debut for Killie on 3 February 2018, as a 65th minute substitute for Kris Boyd in the Ayrshire side's 1–0 win over Scottish Premiership Champions Celtic. Tshibola scored his first Kilmarnock goal in the 4–0 Scottish Cup win over Brora Rangers the following week. After six months, he returned to Aston Villa, only to be loaned back out to Kilmarnock for another season on 29 August 2018.

### Waasland Beveren

On 29 August 2019, Tshibola signed for Belgian club Waasland Beveren for an undisclosed fee. On 19 October 2019, he made his debut in a 2–0 defeat to Gent.

### Aves

On 31 January 2020, Tshibola signed for Portuguese side Aves on a one-and-a-half-year contract. On 1 March 2020, he made his debut, coming on as substitute in a 3–1 defeat to Paços de Ferreira. He made one other appearance in a 2–0 defeat to Sporting CP before the league was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal.
On 13 July 2020, Tshibola announced on his Twitter account that due to financial difficulties at the club, he had left Aves and was a free agent once again.

### Kilmarnock

On 31 July 2020, Tshibola returned for a third spell with Kilmarnock, signing a one-year contract. He left Kilmarnock at the end of the 2020–21 season.

### Gençlerbirliği

In July 2021, Tshibola signed for Turkish side Gençlerbirliği. He made his debut playing 90 minutes of a 0–0 draw with Adanaspor. On 19 December 2021, he scored his first goal in Turkish football, in a 5–0 victory over Menemenspor.

### AEL Limassol

On 12 August 2022, Cypriot First Division club AEL Limassol announced that Tshibola had joined the club. He made his debut of the club on 28 August 2022, in a 2–1 away defeat to local rivals Aris Limassol. He scored his first goal in Cyprus on 28 October 2022, in a 3–0 victory over Akritas Chlorakas.

### Hatta Club

In August 2023, Tshibola joined newly promoted UAE Pro League team Hatta Club for a €150,000 fee.

## International career

Tshibola was called up by England U18 and made his debut, coming on as a substitute in the second half, in a 1–0 loss against Belgium on 5 March 2013.
He is also eligible to represent DR Congo national team due to his ancestry. He was called up to the DR Congo national team for a friendly against Kenya on 26 March 2017, but did not make an appearance. On 27 March 2018, he finally made his senior international debut for DR Congo, playing 45 minutes in a friendly against Tanzania.

## Career statistics

    As of end of 2022-23 season
Appearance and goals by club, season and competition :
| Club | Season | League | League | League | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Other | Other | Total | Total |
| Club | Season | Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Reading | 2013–14 | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| Reading | 2014–15 | Championship | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| Reading | 2015–16 | Championship | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 16 | 0 |
| Reading | Total | Total | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| Hartlepool United (loan) | 2014–15 | League Two | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 0 |
| Aston Villa | 2016–17 | Championship | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 10 | 1 |
| Aston Villa | 2017–18 | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| Aston Villa | Total | Total | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 |
| Nottingham Forest (loan) | 2016–17 | Championship | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 4 | 0 |
| Milton Keynes Dons (loan) | 2017–18 | League One | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 16 | 1 |
| Kilmarnock (loan) | 2017–18 | Scottish Premiership | 12 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 14 | 1 |
| Kilmarnock (loan) | 2018–19 | Scottish Premiership | 27 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 1 |
| Kilmarnock (loan) | Total | Total | 39 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 2 |
| Waasland-Beveren | 2019–20 | Belgian First Division A | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 9 | 0 |
| Aves | 2019–20 | Primeira Liga | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 4 | 0 |
| Kilmarnock | 2020–21 | Scottish Premiership | 30 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 33 | 3 |
| Gençlerbirliği | 2021–22 | TFF First League | 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 19 | 1 |
| AEL Limassol | 2022–23 | Cypriot First Division | 22 | 2 | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 27 | 2 |
| Career total | Career total | Career total | 180 | 8 | 14 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 205 | 10 |
* ↑ Appearances in the EFL Trophy

## Honours

Reading U21
* U21 Premier League Cup: 2013–14
Gençlerbirliği
* TSYD Cup: 2021–22