Elijah Adebayo

Last updated

Elijah Adebayo
Elijah Adebayo at Borehamwood (cropped).jpg
Adebayo with Luton Town in 2021
Personal information
Full name Elijah Anuoluwapo Oluwaferanmi Oluwatomi Oluwalana Ayomikulehin Adebayo [1]
Date of birth (1998-01-07) 7 January 1998 (age 27) [2]
Place of birth Brent, England [3]
Height 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) [2]
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Luton Town
Number 11
Youth career
2007–2016 Fulham
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2016–2019 Fulham 0 (0)
2016 → Slough Town (loan) 6 (1)
2017 → Bognor Regis Town (loan) 6 (5)
2018 → Cheltenham Town (loan) 7 (2)
2018–2019 → Swindon Town (loan) 25 (5)
2019 → Stevenage (loan) 2 (0)
2019–2021 Walsall 55 (18)
2021– Luton Town 161 (43)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16:57, 1 March 2025 (UTC)

Elijah Anuoluwapo Oluwaferanmi Oluwatomi Oluwalana Ayomikulehin Adebayo (born 7 January 1998) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for EFL Championship club Luton Town.

Contents

Career

Fulham

Early career and non-league loans

Adebayo joined Fulham at under-9 level, and signed a scholarship in August 2014. [4] He signed a one-year professional contract on July 2015. [5]

He was sent on a one-month loan to Slough Town at the end of October 2016, and scored a hat-trick on his competitive debut in a 4–1 FA Trophy win over Bognor Regis Town on 29 October. [6] [2] In November, his loan was extended to January 2017. [7] He returned to Fulham following 6 goals in 11 appearances for Slough. [6] [8]

Adebayo then moved on loan to Bognor Regis later that season, on 9 January 2017. [9] He made his debut on 10 January in a 3–1 victory over Shoreham in a Sussex Senior Challenge Cup match. [9] His league debut came on 14 January against Enfield Town; the match finished 1–1 with Adebayo scoring the equaliser. [9] He scored a second-half hat-trick in a 5–0 win over Canvey Island on 21 January. [9] He finished his loan with 5 goals in 7 appearances. [9] Adebayo extended his contract with Fulham for another year in July 2017. [10]

Cheltenham Town (loan)

After extending his Fulham contract by 18 months, Adebayo moved on loan to League Two side Cheltenham Town in January 2018. [11] [12] He made his debut on 13 January in a 2–0 defeat to Accrington Stanley. [13] He scored on 20 January in a 3–2 defeat to Mansfield Town after coming on for injured Mohamed Eisa. [14] [15] Adebayo scored twice in 7 appearances before his loan ended. [16]

Swindon Town (loan)

On 7 July 2018, Adebayo joined League Two side Swindon Town on a season-long loan. [17] He started his debut on 4 August in a 3–2 win over Macclesfield Town. [18] He scored his first goal in a 3–2 victory against Tranmere Rovers on 19 August. [19] Adebayo had a promising start at Swindon, scoring 4 goals in his first 12 appearances; however this was followed by 1 goal in 14 games. [20] Adebayo was subsequently recalled by Fulham in January 2019, with manager Richie Wellens stating, "I was disappointed that he turned up late several times and didn’t perform to the level I expected." [21] [22]

Stevenage (loan)

On 31 January 2019 Adebayo moved on loan to Stevenage for the rest of the season. [23] [24] He faced a straight red card on his debut for elbowing an opposition player in a 2–0 defeat to Tranmere. [25] Adebayo finished his loan with only 2 appearances for Stevenage. [26]

He was released by Fulham at the end of the 2018–19 season. [27]

Walsall

Following his release from Fulham, Adebayo signed for League Two club Walsall in June 2019. [28] [29] He made his debut on 3 August, starting in a 1–0 win over Northampton Town. [30] He scored his first goal of the season on 28 September in a 3–2 win over Crawley Town. [31] He finished his debut Walsall season with 8 goals in 37 appearances. [30] The season was ended early because of the COVID-19 pandemic. [32]

Adebayo extended his contract by one year in June 2020. [32] He scored the winner in Walsall's first league match of the season, a 1–0 victory against Grimsby Town on 12 September. [33] In January 2021, following rumours that Scottish side Heart of Midlothian had agreed terms with Adebayo, Walsall released a statement denying the claims. [34] [35]

Luton Town

On 1 February 2021, Adebayo signed for Championship side Luton Town for an undisclosed fee. [36] He scored on his first start in a 1–1 draw against Millwall on 23 February 2021. [37] In October 2022 he took time away due to off-field problems. [38] He suffered racist abuse in October 2022, the third time in 12 months, [39] and again in October 2023. [40]

On 30 January 2024, Adebayo became the first Luton Town player to score a hat-trick in the Premier League in a 4–0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion. [41]

After picking up an injury in February, Adebayo scored on his return to the team on 3 May 2024, at home to Everton. [42]

Personal life

Adebayo was born in England and is of Nigerian descent. [43]

Style of play

Primarily a forward, Adebayo has also played as a central defender. [44]

Career statistics

As of match played 1 March 2025
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeague FA Cup EFL Cup OtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Fulham 2016–17 [45] Championship 0000000000
2017–18 [46] Championship0000000000
2018–19 [26] Premier League 000000—00
Total0000000000
Slough Town (loan) 2016–17 [8] Southern League Premier Division6100—5 [a] 5116
Cheltenham Town (loan) 2017–18 [46] League Two 7200000072
Swindon Town (loan) 2018–19 [26] League Two25520102 [b] 0305
Stevenage (loan) 2018–19 [26] League Two2000000020
Walsall 2019–20 [30] League Two30820104 [b] 0378
2020–21 [47] League Two251010101 [b] 02810
Total55183020506518
Luton Town 2020–21 [47] Championship185———185
2021–22 [48] Championship401611001 [c] 04217
2022–23 [49] Championship42742003 [c] 14910
2023–24 [50] Premier League27103020—3210
2024–25 [51] Championship3451010—365
Total1614393304117747
Career total256691436016629278
  1. ↑ Four appearances and three goals in FA Trophy, one appearance and two goals in Berks & Bucks Senior Cup
  2. 1 2 3 Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
  3. 1 2 Appearance(s) in Championship play-offs

Honours

Luton Town

References

  1. ↑ "2018/19 Premier League squads confirmed". Premier League. 3 September 2018. Archived from the original on 2 February 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 "Profile". Fulham F.C. Archived from the original on 19 January 2018. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  3. ↑ "Elijah Adebayo". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Archived from the original on 16 October 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  4. ↑ "Academy Scholarships". Fulham F.C. 14 August 2014. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  5. ↑ "Retained List". Fulham F.C. 1 July 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  6. 1 2 "Elijah Adebayo". Slough Town F.C. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  7. ↑ "Adebayo extends loan spell with Rebels". Slough Town F.C. 23 November 2016.
  8. 1 2 "Profile". Aylesbury United F.C. Archived from the original on 11 March 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Carl Eldridge (29 December 2023). "Adebayo: From Rocks goal ace to Premier League striker…". Bognor Regis Town F.C. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  10. ↑ "Player Update". Fulham F.C. 10 July 2017. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  11. ↑ "Elijah Adebayo: Fulham striker joins Cheltenham Town on loan". BBC Sport. 9 January 2018. Archived from the original on 11 April 2019. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  12. ↑ "New Deal & Loan For Adebayo". Fulham F.C. 9 January 2018. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  13. ↑ "Cheltenham Town 0-2 Accrington Stanley". BBC Sport. 13 January 2018. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  14. ↑ Jon Palmer (21 January 2018). "Five things we learned from Cheltenham Town's 3-2 defeat at Mansfield Town". Gloucestershire Live . Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  15. ↑ "Loan Round-Up". Fulham F.C. 23 January 2018. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  16. ↑ "Loan Deal For Adebayo". Fulham F.C. 7 July 2018. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  17. ↑ "McCormick, Smith and Adebayo join Swindon". BBC Sport. 7 July 2018. Archived from the original on 20 October 2018. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  18. ↑ "MATCH REPORT: Swindon Town 3-2 Macclesfield". Swindon Town F.C. 4 August 2018. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  19. ↑ "Elijah Adebayo celebrates first Swindon Town goal". Swindon Advertiser. 19 August 2018. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  20. ↑ Jonathan Leighfield (21 December 2018). "Elijah Adebayo insists he has more to offer to Swindon Town, following last week's below-par display at Grimsby". Swindon Advertiser. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  21. ↑ Shaun Reynolds (12 January 2019). "Elijah Adebayo insists he has more to offer to Swindon Town, following last week's below-par display at Grimsby". Swindon Advertiser. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  22. ↑ "Adebayo and Humphrys Return". Fulham F.C. 9 January 2019. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  23. ↑ "Ilias Chair of QPR and Elijah Adebayo of Fulham join Stevenage Borough on loan". BBC Sport. 31 January 2019. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  24. ↑ "Adebayo & Davies Depart". Fulham F.C. 31 January 2019. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  25. ↑ "Loan Round-Up". Fulham F.C. 11 February 2019. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  26. 1 2 3 4 "Games played by Elijah Adebayo in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  27. ↑ "Player Departures". Fulham F.C. 17 May 2019. Archived from the original on 17 June 2019. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  28. ↑ "Elijah Adebayo: Former Fulham forward joins Walsall". BBC Sport. 25 June 2019. Archived from the original on 24 May 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  29. ↑ Daniel Briggs (25 June 2019). "Elijah Adebayo becomes Saddlers' fourth summer signing!". Walsall F.C. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
  30. 1 2 3 "Games played by Elijah Adebayo in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  31. ↑ "Crawley Town 2-3 Walsall". BBC Sport. 28 September 2019. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
  32. 1 2 "Elijah Adebayo 'delighted' to be staying as a Saddler for another year". Walsall F.C. 2 July 2020. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
  33. ↑ "Match Report: Walsall 1-0 Grimsby". Walsall F.C. 12 September 2020. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
  34. ↑ Barry Anderson (24 January 2021). "Elijah Adebayo: Latest on Hearts' pursuit of Walsall striker as Robbie Neilson gives fresh update". Edinburgh Evening News . Retrieved 21 February 2025.
  35. ↑ "Club Statement: Press Speculation". Walsall F.C. 24 January 2021. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
  36. ↑ "Tom Ince & Elijah Adebayo: Luton Town bolster forward options on deadline day". BBC Sport. 1 February 2021. Archived from the original on 2 February 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  37. ↑ "Luton 1-1 Millwall". BBC Sport. 23 February 2021. Archived from the original on 23 February 2021. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  38. ↑ "Adebayo 'more like himself' after off-field issues". Archived from the original on 21 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023– via www.bbc.co.uk.
  39. ↑ "Luton report more racist abuse aimed at Adebayo". Archived from the original on 31 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023– via www.bbc.co.uk.
  40. ↑ "Adebayo 'tired' of racist abuse after fresh incident". Archived from the original on 15 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023– via www.bbc.co.uk.
  41. ↑ "Luton climb out of drop zone after Adebayo hat-trick stuns Brighton". The Guardian. 30 January 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  42. ↑ Gokal, Mehdi (3 May 2024). "Video: Adebayo returns from injury to score crucial goal for Luton that takes them out of the relegation zone". CaughtOffside. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  43. ↑ "Central Defender Turned Striker Elijah Adebayo Continues To Catch The Eye At Fulham". All Nigeria Soccer. 25 February 2017. Archived from the original on 20 April 2018. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
  44. ↑ "Swindon Town striker Elijah Adebayo discusses his previous role as a centre half". Swindon Advertiser. 2 November 2018. Archived from the original on 14 April 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  45. ↑ "Games played by Elijah Adebayo in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  46. 1 2 "Games played by Elijah Adebayo in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  47. 1 2 "Games played by Elijah Adebayo in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  48. ↑ "Games played by Elijah Adebayo in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  49. ↑ "Games played by Elijah Adebayo in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  50. ↑ "Games played by Elijah Adebayo in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
  51. ↑ "Games played by Elijah Adebayo in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  52. ↑ "Luton win shootout to reach Premier League". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 27 May 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
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