Alex Iacovitti

Alex Iacovitti

Iacovitti with Nottingham Forest in 2016
Personal information
Full name	Alexander Iacovitti [1]
Date of birth	(1997-09-02) 2 September 1997 (age 26) [2]
Place of birth	Nottingham, England [2]
Height	1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) [2]
Position(s)	Defender [3]
Team information
Current team	Port Vale
Number	17
Youth career
2009–2019	Nottingham Forest
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2016–2019	Nottingham Forest	2	(0)
2016–2017	→ Mansfield Town (loan)	8	(0)
2017–2018	→ Forest Green Rovers (loan)	14	(1)
2019	→ Oldham Athletic (loan)	9	(1)
2019–2020	Oldham Athletic	24	(0)
2020–2023	Ross County	103	(7)
2023–	Port Vale	30	(1)
International career
2014	Scotland U17	6	(0)
2015–2016	Scotland U19	9	(0)
2017	Scotland U20	5	(0)
2016–2017	Scotland U21	4	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15:55, 20 April 2024 (UTC)

Alexander Iacovitti (born 2 September 1997) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a defender for EFL League One club Port Vale.

Iacovitti won caps with Scotland up to under-21 level, and made his debut at club level for Nottingham Forest in August 2016. He spent the first half of the 2016–17 season on loan at Mansfield Town and the first half of the 2017–18 campaign on loan at Forest Green Rovers. He joined Oldham Athletic on loan in January 2019, with the deal being made permanent four months later. He signed with Scottish Premiership club Ross County in June 2020, where he would play 116 games over the course of three seasons. He joined Port Vale in July 2023.

Club career

Nottingham Forest

Iacovitti joined the Academy of Nottingham Forest at the age eleven, becoming an ever-present in the under-18 team that reached the play-off semi-final and FA Youth Cup quarter-final. ^{[4] [5]} Following the departure of manager Dougie Freedman, Iacovitti was linked with a move to Aston Villa in August 2015, where former Forest academy boss Kevin MacDonald was now assistant manager. ^{[6] [7]} He remained in Nottingham, however, and made his professional debut for the club on 6 August 2016, starting at left-back under Philippe Montanier in a 4–3 win over Burton Albion at the City Ground. ^{[8] [9]} On 31 August, Iacovitti joined League Two club Mansfield Town on loan for the 2016–17 season. ^[10] Stags manager Adam Murray had been in need of a centre-half following a hamstring injury to Kyle Howkins. ^[11] Iacovitti made his debut at Field Mill on 10 September in a 1–0 defeat to Barnet. ^[12] On 12 November, Iacovitti was shown a red card in the 74th-minute away at Portsmouth after a late challenge on Michael Doyle; a goal down at the time, Mansfield went on to lose the game 4–0 having also had Howkins dismissed. ^[13] This was his last appearance for the club and he returned to Nottingham early from his loan spell on 1 January; Steve Evans, who had replaced Murray as manager in November, cited the reason as a lack of playing time. ^[14]

On 31 July 2017, Iacovitti was loaned to League Two club Forest Green Rovers for the 2017–18 season. ^[15] He scored his first goal in senior football on 18 November, when his 93rd-minute winner secured a 3–2 victory over Crewe Alexandra at The New Lawn and sent manager Mark Cooper into a celebratory dash down the touchline. ^[16] He featured a total of nineteen times for Forest Green. ^[17] He was linked with a move to Notts County prior to Kevin Nolan's departure in August 2018. ^[18]

Oldham Athletic

On 28 January 2019, Iacovitti joined League Two side Oldham Athletic on loan for the remainder of the 2018–19 season. ^[19] He played at centre-half and left-back, and credited senior players Peter Clarke and David Wheater with aiding his development. ^[20] Iacovitti was released by Forest at the end of the season and on 21 May 2019, Iacovitti joined Oldham Athletic permanently on a two-year deal, with an option for a further year. ^{[21] [22]} However, having been initially signed by Pete Wild, club owner Abdallah Lemsagam had promised the contract to Iacovitti without consulting stand-in manager Paul Scholes, causing Scholes to quit in protest at ownership interference in first-team matters. ^[23] Iacovitti made 30 appearances across the 2019–20 campaign under Laurent Banide and Dino Maamria, scoring one goal in the EFL Trophy. ^[24] His contract was terminated by mutual consent on 26 June 2020. ^[25]

Ross County

On 26 June 2020, Iacovitti joined Scottish Premiership club Ross County on a permanent contract. ^[26] He made his debut at Victoria Park on 3 August in a 1–0 win over Motherwell. ^[27] Speaking in September, manager Stuart Kettlewell said that Iacovitti had "flown under the radar" with some strong performances at the start of the 2020–21 season. ^[28] He maintained his first-team place under new manager John Hughes and ended the campaign with four goals in 42 games. ^[29] He started the 2021–22 season with two goals in two games, ending up with four goals in 33 appearances. ^[30]

He signed a new deal with the club in June 2022, having impressed manager Malky Mackay with his consistency and professionalism. ^[31] He formed a strong central defensive partnership with Jack Baldwin, leading Mackay to say that Iacovitti had been among his most consistent performers since his arrival at the club. ^[32] He scored four goals in 41 games in the 2022–23 season, with two of his goals coming in defeats at home to Celtic. ^[33] County finished in the relegation/promotion play-off place at the end of the campaign, which the club won, though Iacovitti was unable to feature due to injury. ^[34]

Port Vale

On 23 June 2023, Iacovitti agreed a two-year deal with League One side Port Vale, due to start on 1 July; manager Andy Crosby and director of football david Flitcroft emphasised the player's strength and physical presence, in addition to his character. ^[35] On 30 September, following a good start to the campaign, he sustained a calf injury in a 1–0 defeat to Bolton Wanderers at Vale Park which saw him ruled out for a minimum of eight weeks. ^[36] He initially struggled for form upon his return to fitness before looking more assured as the weeks went by. ^[37]

International career

Born in England to an Italian father and a Scottish mother, ^[38] Iacovitti made his debut for the Scotland under-19 team in a 1–0 victory over Bulgaria on 4 September 2015. ^[39] He won nine caps at under-19 level over a seven-month period, with five games being in Scotland's unsuccessful 2016 UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualification campaign. ^[40] He was capped at under-20 level in a 3–2 defeat to the Czech Republic on 31 May 2017. ^[41] He won a further four caps at under-20 level, featuring in the 2017 Toulon Tournament where Scotland finished third. ^[42] He won his first under-21 cap in a 2–0 defeat to Iceland on 5 October 2016. ^[43] In total he won four caps at under-21 level, including two 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification matches. ^[44]

Style of play

Iacovitti is a central defender, though is also able to play at left-back. ^[20] A threat from set pieces due to his height, he has good mental attributes and is a leader at the back. ^{[45] [46]} He has pace and is comfortable on the ball, leaving him able to carry the ball out of defence with his left foot. ^{[47] [48]}

Career statistics

As of match played 20 April 2024

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup		League cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Nottingham Forest	2016–17 [49]	Championship	2	0	0	0	0	0	—		2	0
	2017–18 [17]	Championship	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	2018–19 [50]	Championship	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	Total		2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
Mansfield Town (loan)	2016–17 [49]	League Two	8	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	8	0
Forest Green Rovers (loan)	2017–18 [17]	League Two	14	1	1	0	0	0	4 [lower-alpha 1]	0	19	1
Oldham Athletic (loan)	2018–19 [50]	League Two	9	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	9	1
Oldham Athletic	2019–20 [24]	League Two	24	0	2	0	1	0	3 [lower-alpha 1]	1	30	1
	Total		33	1	2	0	1	0	3	1	39	2
Ross County	2020–21 [29]	Scottish Premiership	36	2	0	0	6	2	—		42	4
	2021–22 [30]	Scottish Premiership	31	2	0	0	2	2	—		33	4
	2022–23 [33]	Scottish Premiership	36	3	0	0	5	1	—		41	4
	Total		103	7	0	0	13	5	0	0	116	12
Port Vale	2023–24 [51]	League One	30	1	2	0	3	0	2 [lower-alpha 1]	0	37	1
Career total			190	10	5	0	17	5	9	1	221	16

1. Appearance(s) in the EFL Trophy

References

1. "Notification of shirt numbers: Oldham Athletic" (PDF). English Football League. p. 50. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
2. Alex Iacovitti at Soccerway
3. Alex Iacovitti at Soccerbase
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9. "Matty Cash and Alex Iacovitti handed Nottingham Forest senior debuts against Burton Albion". Nottingham Post. Archived from the original on 7 August 2016. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
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36. Baggaley, Mike (4 October 2023). "Much to consider for Andy Crosby with injuries, red card and Bristol Rovers defeat". Valiant's Substack. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
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38. Walker, Mark (21 November 2015). "Faced with the choice of playing football for Italy, England or Scotland, rising football star Alex Iacovitti pick the latter". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
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46. "Key figures in Ross County's survival mission | SPFL". spfl.co.uk. 1 June 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
47. "Murray pleased to capture sought-after defender". www.mansfieldtown.net. 31 August 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
48. "Five young stars who could make the breakthrough". www.stagsnet.net. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
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50. "Games played by Alex Iacovitti in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
51. "Games played by Alex Iacovitti in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 11 July 2023.