Ishé Barrington Samuels-Smith (born 6 June 2006) is an English footballer who plays as a left-back for Chelsea.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ishé Barrington Samuels-Smith[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 5 June 2006 | ||
| Place of birth | Manchester, England[2] | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Left-back, centre-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Chelsea | ||
| Number | 53 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2015–2023 | Everton | ||
| 2023– | Chelsea | ||
| International career‡ | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| England U15 | |||
| 2021–2022 | England U16 | 6 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | England U17 | 21 | (1) |
| 2023– | England U18 | 7 | (0) |
| ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 10:14, 26 March 2024 (UTC) | |||
Club career
Born in Manchester, Samuels-Smith joined the academy of Everton at the age of nine.[3] He progressed through the academy, and in September 2022 was named by English newspaper The Guardian as the best player of his age group at Everton.[4] On 8 November of the same year, then-manager Frank Lampard named Samuels-Smith on the bench as Everton faced AFC Bournemouth in the third round of the EFL Cup. Had he come off the bench, he would've broken Thierry Small's record as the youngest Everton player in history, however he did not feature as Everton lost 4–1.[5] Following Lampard's sacking in January 2023, new manager Sean Dyche would call Samuels-Smith up to the bench again in April of the same year, though he again failed to feature as Everton lost 3–1 to Fulham.[6]
Having initially been linked with Samuels-Smith in July 2022,[7] fellow Premier League club Chelsea were reported to have agreed a three-year deal with Samuels-Smith in July 2023, with a £4 million bid made.[3][8] This deal was later officially confirmed on 8 July 2023.[9][10]
International career
Samuels-Smith has represented England from under-15 to under-18 level.[11] He was a member of the squad that finished fifth at the 2023 UEFA European Under-17 Championship and his performances during the competition led to his inclusion in the team of the tournament.[12]
On 6 September 2023, Samuels-Smith made his England U-18 debut during a 2-0 defeat to France in Limoges.[13]
On 2 November 2023, Samuels-Smith was included in the England squad for the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup.[14]
Personal life
Samuels-Smith has a twin brother, Odin, who plays for Everton.[11]
Honours
England U18s
Career statistics
Club
- As of 6 July 2023.[16]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Everton U21 | 2022–23 | — | 4[a] | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||||||
| Career total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
- Notes
Honours
Individual