Early career Wells was born in
Hamilton. a team he had first joined at the age of 12. Wells had a trial with Dutch club
Ajax as a teenager; he was offered a contract but ultimately did not sign for the club. After spending the 2009–10 season with the senior team of the Dandy Town Hornets, scoring 20 goals, Wells spent the 2010 season in the
USL PDL with the
Bermuda Hogges, scoring 2 goals in 9 games. Wells later moved to England to attend the
Richmond International Academic and Soccer Academy in Leeds, graduating in the academy's first year, and also played club football with local non-League team
Eccleshill United. Wells underwent a trial with
Carlisle United in November 2010, his second with the club. Before moving to the UK, Wells sought the advice of compatriot
Shaun Goater. In December 2010, it was announced that Wells would sign for Carlisle United on 1 January 2011. Wells made his debut for Carlisle United on 15 January 2011, in a
League One game against
Bristol Rovers. In March 2011, Wells publicly announced his wish to play at
Wembley Stadium with Carlisle United in the
2011 Football League Trophy Final, to be played in April 2011. However, Wells did not make the matchday squad, as Carlisle United beat
Brentford 1–0. On 3 May 2011, it was announced that Wells' contract with Carlisle United would not be renewed at the end of the season.
Bradford City 2011–12 season In late June 2011, Wells went on trial with
Bradford City alongside four other players. He signed a one-year contract with Bradford City on 22 July 2011. Wells made his debut for Bradford City on the opening day of the 2011–12 season, coming on as a 74th-minute substitute for
Mark Stewart. He scored his first goal for the Bantams in a 4–2 win against
Barnet. On 9 March 2012, Bradford City exercised an option in Wells' contract, and extended his deal by one year. On 14 April, he scored a hat-trick as Bradford beat
Northampton Town 3–1. He was later named in the Football League Two Team of the Week for that week. Following this, former Bradford City player
Dean Windass urged Wells to remain with the club, while ex-Bermudian international
Kyle Lightbourne compared him to
Jermain Defoe. In early May, Wells and Bradford City began discussions over a new four-year contract, and later that month he publicly assured fans that he would stay with the club. In June there were further rumours of Wells leaving the club, while it was later revealed that he nearly never signed for the club in the first place. In July, Wells stated he was in no rush to sign a new contract.
2012–13 season 's victory in the
2013 League Two play-off final Wells scored a penalty on the opening day of the 2012–13 season in an away match against
Gillingham. He scored his second goal of the season on 25 August in a 5–1 win against
AFC Wimbledon, and also assisted the fifth goal, crossing for James Hanson to score with a header. In September 2012, Wells suffered a hip injury. On 25 September, Wells came off the bench to score two late goals to help Bradford overturn a 2–0 deficit against
Burton Albion in the
League Cup third round, with Bradford going on to win the game 3–2 in extra time. At the end of September 2012, Wells signed a new three-year contract with the club, in a move praised by
Phil Parkinson, the club's manager. In October 2012, Wells was banned by the club from celebrating his goals. As the January 2013 transfer window opened, Bradford City dismissed rumours linking Wells with a move away from the club. On 8 January 2013, he helped Bradford beat
Premier League side
Aston Villa 3–1 in the first leg of the semi-final of the League Cup by opening the scoring in the 19th minute. After appearing in the
2013 League Cup Final, Wells became the first player from Bermuda to appear in an English major cup final. prior to the match he spoke about being motivated by the recent death of a friend in a motorcycle accident, as well as how he was looking forward to facing opponents from a higher league. Wells hadn't scored for the club since 2 February 2013, until he scored the only goal of the game on 6 April 2013, in a 1–0 home victory against Northampton Town. Later that month, he was linked with a transfer to
Burnley. In May 2013, Wells scored three goals across two legs to help Bradford City qualify for the League Two play-off final. The goals took his tally for the season to 25, a target he had set himself before the season begun. He then scored in the final against Northampton Town, which Bradford won 3–0 to earn promotion to League One. Following the promotion, Wells stated he wished to stay at the club, though the club later admitted they might sell the player if a suitable offer came in. Former City player
John Hendrie advised Wells to remain at the club.
2013–14 season Ahead of the 2013–14 season, Wells spoke of his desire for another good cup run, and his belief that the club could achieve a second successive promotion. In June 2012, manager Phil Parkinson said that only a high-money bid would persuade the club to sell either Wells or fellow striker
James Hanson. In July 2013, the club rejected a bid from
Peterborough United, and later revealed that they had had no further offers for the player. In August 2013, Wells' strike partner Hanson spoke positively of his partnership with Wells. On 24 August 2013, Wells scored two goals in a home match against Sheffield United; in the process he equalled a club record by scoring in his eighth consecutive match, which was originally set by
Derek Stokes in 1959–60, a feat which was praised by teammate James Hanson. After the match the club re-stated that they would not sell Wells, and later confirmed they had not received any bids for the player on transfer deadline day. On 4 September 2013, Wells was nominated for the League One Player of the Month award, winning the award two days later. Wells has publicly praised his strike partnership with Hanson, as has journalist Simon Parker, who described them as "[one of] the best front pairs that League One has to offer." Of the 53 goals that Wells scored for Bradford City, 49 came when he was playing with Hanson. In late September 2013 Wells suffered ankle ligament damage in a match, and was ruled out for a number of weeks. Manager Phil Parkinson stated he would not rush Wells back into play, Wells returned, after two months out, to score a hat-trick against Coventry City. In December 2013, club co-chairman
Julian Rhodes admitted that the player might leave the club, as rumours surrounding the player's possible departure began to increase. That same month, colleague Andrew Davies described Wells and Hanson as the best strike pair in the division, and Davies also urged Wells to remain with the club, while manager Phil Parkinson said that he did not want the club to sell the player. Wells picked up an injury at the end of December 2013, and at the start of the January 2014 transfer window, manager Phil Parkinson said he wanted any transfer issues sorted quickly. The next day, 3 January 2014, the club announced that they had already rejected one offer for the player, after saying that Wells has been receiving interest from a number of
Premier League clubs, as well as Championship side Burnley. The club also said they would lose £1 million for the 2013–14 season if they did not sell Wells. Despite all the speculation, Parkinson said he felt Wells would be able to ignore off-the-field matters and concentrate on his playing, though he later admitted that the player was being affected by the rumours.
Huddersfield Town On 10 January 2014, Wells signed a four-and-a-half-year contract with
Huddersfield Town after transferring for an undisclosed club record fee. The deal was initially completed a one-game loan deal, to allow time for the paperwork for the permanent move to be completed. Wells was criticised by a section of Bradford City fans for moving from Bradford City to a team considered a rival. On 11 January 2014, Wells made his Huddersfield Town debut, appearing as a substitute in the 55th minute, and scoring the winning goal in a 1–0 home victory against
Millwall, less than 24 hours after joining the club. Wells ended his first full-season with Huddersfield Town as the club's top scorer with 14 goals. At the end of the 2016–17 season, former club Bradford City received a £250,000 bonus payment following Huddersfield's promotion to the Premier League.
Burnley Wells, in the final year of his contract with Huddersfield, signed a three-year deal with
Burnley for £5 million on 31 August 2017. On 23 August 2018, Wells signed for
Championship side
Queens Park Rangers on a season-long loan. He scored his first goal for QPR against
Sheffield Wednesday on 23 October 2018. In October 2019 he was nominated for the Championship's Player of the Month award for his form during September. He was recalled by Burnley on 27 January 2020.
Bristol City Wells left Burnley and signed a three-and-a-half-year contract with
Bristol City on 30 January 2020, for an undisclosed fee. In February 2020 he won the January 2020 EFL Championship Player of the Month award, which was won for his performances with Queens Park Rangers. On 17 May 2025, the club said it was in contract negotiations with Wells. On 23 June 2025, it was confirmed that Wells would be leaving at the end of the month when his contract expired, with Wells saying he intended to stay in the Championship.
Luton Town Despite stating he intended to remain in the Championship, Wells joined
Luton Town, who had been relegated to League One at the end of
the previous season, on 10 July 2025. He had been linked with a move back to previous club Bradford City, although this was later laughed off' by Bradford manager
Graham Alexander. Wells missed the match against Bradford City on 16 August due to injury. Wells scored two goals in the
2026 EFL Trophy final, as Luton won 3–1. ==International career==