Elliot John Embleton (born 2 April 1999) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL Championship side Sunderland.[3] He has also spent time on loan at Grimsby Town, Blackpool, and Derby County and has represented England from under-17 to under-20 level.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Elliot John Embleton[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 2 April 1999[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Durham, England | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Sunderland | ||
| Number | 8 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2009–2013 | Middlesbrough | ||
| –2017 | Sunderland | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017– | Sunderland | 75 | (10) |
| 2018–2019 | → Grimsby Town (loan) | 27 | (3) |
| 2021 | → Blackpool (loan) | 18 | (1) |
| 2023–2024 | → Derby County (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2015–2016 | England U17 | 11 | (1) |
| 2016–2017 | England U18 | 10 | (0) |
| 2017–2018 | England U19 | 13 | (4) |
| 2017–2019 | England U20 | 10 | (2) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15:39, 16 September 2023 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 02:15, 31 March 2019 (UTC) | |||
Club career
Sunderland
Embleton was named on the bench on six occasions during the 2016–17 Premier League, having featured many times for the under-23 side.[4] However, he would have to wait until the next season to make his first team debut, which came on 9 December 2017 as an injury time substitute for Lynden Gooch in a 0–0 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers.[5]
On 30 August 2018, Embleton joined Grimsby Town on loan until January 2019.[6] The player established himself as a regular starter for the Lincolnshire side, scoring four goals during this period, and on 2 January 2019 the two clubs announced an extension of the loan to the end of the 2018–19 season.[7]
On 1 February 2021, Embleton joined League One side Blackpool on loan for the remainder of the 2020–21 season.[8]
He scored his first goal for Sunderland in a 2–1 win at Milton Keynes Dons on 14 August 2021.[9]
Embleton scored the first of Sunderland's goals in the 2–0 win over Wycombe Wanderers in the 2022 EFL League One play-off final that secured promotion to the EFL Championship.[10]
Embleton played in Sunderland's first 23 games in the Championship in the 2022–23 season, scoring twice before his season was cut short in December after ankle ligament damage in a match against Hull City, an incident which he got red carded.[11] It wasn't until September 2023, a month into the following season when he was fit enough to be in consideration for first team action.[12]
On 1 September 2023, Embleton joined League One club Derby County on a season-long loan.[13] Embleton made his debut for Derby on 16 September 2023, in a 1–1 draw at home to Portsmouth as a 38th-minute substitute,[14] Embleton started Derby's EFL Trophy tie against Lincoln City on 19 September 2023, playing 59 minutes.[15] On 22 September 2023, Embleton picked up an injury whilst taking a corner kick in a light training session on the eve of Derby's match at Carlisle United.[16] On 28 September 2023, Derby head coach Paul Warne confirmed that Embleton had torn his quadriceps and would be out for "three to six months", Warne said Embleton's world was ripped apart and the injury may require surgery.[17] Embleton returned to Sunderland for his rehabilitation[17] with Derby keeping their contribution of the players wages until January,[18] but the loan deal was effectively over.[17] The loan was officially terminated on 10 January 2024.[19]
International career
Embleton has represented England from under-17 to under-20 level.[20] In May 2017, Embleton was included in an England U20 squad for the 2017 Toulon Tournament.[21] He scored in the semi-final against Scotland.[22] In the final, Embleton converted his penalty during the shoot-out as England defeated Ivory Coast to win the tournament.[23]
In July 2018, Embleton was included in the England U19 squad for the 2018 UEFA European Under-19 Championship.[24] He scored in the opening group match against Turkey.[25]
Career statistics
- As of match played 19 September 2023
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Sunderland U23 | 2016–17[26] | — | — | — | 2[a] | 1 | 2 | 1 | ||||
| Sunderland | 2017–18[27] | Championship | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | |
| 2018–19[28] | League One | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2019–20[29] | League One | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2020–21[30] | League One | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 12 | 0 | |
| 2021–22[31] | League One | 38 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5[b] | 1 | 47 | 9 | |
| 2022–23[32] | Championship | 23 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 2 | |
| 2023–24[33] | Championship | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total | 75 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 92 | 11 | ||
| Grimsby Town (loan) | 2018–19[28] | League Two | 27 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 4 |
| Blackpool (loan) | 2020–21[30] | League One | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3[c] | 1 | 21 | 2 |
| Derby County (loan) | 2023–24[33] | League One | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1[a] | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Career total | 121 | 14 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 13 | 3 | 147 | 18 | ||
Honours
Blackpool
Sunderland
Individual
- Sunderland Young Player of the Year: 2021–22[35]