Freddie Ladapo

Freddie Ladapo

Personal information
Full name	Olayinka Fredrick Oladotun Ladapo [1]
Date of birth	(1993-02-01) 1 February 1993 (age 31) [2]
Place of birth	Romford, England [2]
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) [3]
Position(s)	Forward
Team information
Current team	Charlton Athletic (on loan from Ipswich Town)
Number	14
Youth career
2008–2010	Southend United
2010–2012	Colchester United
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2011–2014	Colchester United	6	(0)
2011	→ Thurrock (loan)	2	(1)
2011	→ Chelmsford City (loan)	3	(0)
2012	→ Bishop's Stortford (loan)	3	(0)
2013	→ Woking (loan)	4	(0)
2013–2014	→ Nuneaton Town (loan)	6	(2)
2014	Kidderminster Harriers	3	(0)
2014	→ Hayes & Yeading United [lower-alpha 1] (loan)	16	(2)
2014–2015	→ Grays Athletic (loan)	26	(14)
2015–2016	Margate	53	(25)
2016–2018	Crystal Palace	1	(0)
2016–2017	→ Oldham Athletic (loan)	17	(2)
2017	→ Shrewsbury Town (loan)	15	(4)
2018	Southend United	10	(0)
2018–2019	Plymouth Argyle	45	(18)
2019–2022	Rotherham United	104	(34)
2022–	Ipswich Town	63	(19)
2024–	→ Charlton Athletic (loan)	14	(1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:10, 1 April 2024 (UTC)

Olayinka Fredrick Oladotun "Freddie" Ladapo (born 1 February 1993) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for Charlton Athletic on loan from Ipswich Town.

Ladapo began his senior career at Colchester United, having previously been in the academies at both Colchester and Southend United. During his time at Colchester, he had a number of loan spells in non-league football with Thurrock, Chelmsford City, Bishop's Stortford, Woking and Nuneaton Town. He made his Football League debut in December 2012. In 2014 he left Colchester to join Kidderminster Harriers, spending time out on loan at Hayes & Yeading United and Grays Athletic during his time at Kidderminster before moving to Margate in 2015. He won promotion from the Isthmian League Premier Division through the play-offs during his time at the club, earning him a move to Premier League club Crystal Palace in 2016. During his time at Palace, he spent time out on loan at Oldham Athletic and Shrewsbury Town, whilst also making his Premier League debut in 2017. In 2018, Ladapo joined his former academy side Southend United, departing later in the year to join Plymouth Argyle. A year later he signed for Rotherham United for a club record fee, going on to win two promotions from EFL League One during his time at the club, whilst also winning the EFL Trophy in 2022. He left Rotherham in the summer of 2022, signing for Ipswich Town on a free transfer and going onto win promotion from EFL League One in his first season with the club.

Club career

Colchester United

Ladapo, born in Romford, England, ^[4] scored close to a goal a game at youth level for Colchester United's Academy. ^[5] On 1 March 2011, he was loaned to Conference South club Thurrock for work experience, ^[5] and scored on his senior debut that day as a half-time substitute in a 3–1 home loss to Boreham Wood. ^[6] On 30 March he was loaned to Chelmsford City of the same division. ^[7]

He signed a professional one-and-a-half-year contract with Colchester in March 2012, ^[8] and at the start of the following season, he was loaned to Bishop's Stortford in the Conference North. Ladapo made his first appearance for Colchester in the 2012–13 season, coming on as a 68th-minute substitute for Gavin Massey in a 3–1 home defeat to Brentford on 26 December 2012. ^[9]

In June 2013, Ladapo signed a new one-year contract to keep him with Colchester for a further season, looking to add to his four first-team appearances he made during the 2012–13 season. ^[10] He was then loaned out to Conference outfit Woking on 16 August 2013 for one month to bolster Garry Hill's strike-force. Ladapo was brought in to cover the suspended Giuseppe Solet. ^{[11] [12]} Featuring in the starting line-up against Chester on 17 August, Ladapo was replaced after 53 minutes by Joe McNerny who went on to score ten minutes later in the 2–0 victory. ^[13]

Having previously failed to score in his four appearances for Woking, Ladapo was sent out on loan to fellow Conference team Nuneaton Town on 1 November for one month. ^[14] He made his debut the following day in a 2–2 draw with Hyde, and scored the opening goal. ^[15] In his next match against Welling United on 16 November, Ladapo was brought on as an 86th-minute substitute and subsequently scored an injury-time goal to win the game 2–1. ^[16]

Kidderminster Harriers

On 24 January 2014, Ladapo joined Conference side Kidderminster Harriers on a free transfer from Colchester United. ^[17] Ladapo was registered in time to face Premier League club Sunderland in the FA Cup fourth round the following day. He made his Harriers debut in the game as a 68th-minute substitute in front of a crowd of 25,081 as Kiddermister went down 1–0, Ladapo missing a late chance to level the game. ^[18]

On 11 March 2014, Ladapo joined Conference South club Hayes & Yeading United on an initial one-month loan, and four days later he scored the only goal of a home win against Concord Rangers, the West London club's first victory of the calendar year. ^[19] His loan was extended on 10 April until the end of the season. ^[20]

On 30 July 2014, Ladapo joined Grays Athletic of the Isthmian League Premier Division on loan until January. ^[21] Ladapo went on to make 26 appearances in the league, scoring 14 goals.

Margate

Kidderminster Harriers cancelled Ladapo's contract by mutual consent on 13 January 2015. ^[22] The following day, he signed for Isthmian League Premier Division promotion chasers Margate. In March 2016 Ladapo went on trial to Crystal Palace, during which he scored a hat trick in an Under-21 match versus Watford. ^{[23] [24]}

Crystal Palace

On 30 March 2016, Lapado joined Palace on a two-and-a-half-year contract for an undisclosed fee. ^[25] While primarily used as a member of the development squad, in July 2016 he accompanied the first team on their North American tour and was named in the starting lineup for the first friendly match against Philadelphia Union. ^[26]

On 30 August 2016, Ladapo joined Oldham Athletic on loan until 2 January 2017. ^[27]

After his loan at Oldham expired, Ladapo joined fellow League One side Shrewsbury Town on a half-season loan deal on 5 January 2017. ^[28] He made his debut for the club two days later, playing the entirety of a 1−1 draw away at Swindon Town, ^[29] and scored the only goal of the match on his home debut against Bradford City a week later. ^[30]

He made his Palace debut in a 4–0 away defeat at Manchester United on 30 September 2017 as a 74th-minute substitute for Bakary Sako. ^[31]

Southend United

On 31 January 2018, Ladapo moved to League One side Southend United for an undisclosed fee, ^[32] having been poised to join AFC Wimbledon earlier the same day and even arriving at the club’s stadium to undergo a medical before walking out midway through. ^[33]

At the end of the 2017–18 season, having not scored in ten appearances, he was released by the club. ^[34]

Plymouth Argyle

After being released by Southend, Ladapo signed for fellow league team Plymouth Argyle. ^[35]

He was Plymouth Argyle's top scorer in the 2018–19 season. ^[36]

Rotherham United

On 25 June 2019, Ladapo signed a three-year contract with Rotherham United for £500,000, which represented a record transfer fee for the South Yorkshire club. ^[37]

In January 2022, Ladapo put in a transfer request at Rotherham, ^[38] which Rotherham accepted. ^[39] At the time Ladapo's contract had just six months remaining meaning that, in the summer he would be able to leave on a free transfer. However, a club statement confirmed they have an option to extend his contract by 12 months. ^[40] Ladapo left the club following their promotion back to the Championship at the end of the 2021–22 season upon the expiration of his contract. ^[41]

Ipswich Town

On 30 May 2022, it was announced that Ladapo would be signing for Ipswich Town following the expiration of his contract at Rotherham, signing a three-year deal. ^[42] He made his debut for Ipswich on the opening day of the 2022–23 season in a 1–1 draw with Bolton Wanderers at Portman Road. ^[43] After a slow start to the season, he scored his first goal for the club in a 6–0 EFL Trophy win against Northampton Town on 30 August. ^[44] Ladapo's goal scoring form picked up over the season, reaching double figures in all competitions by the end of December. After Ipswich signed George Hirst on loan in January, Ladapo found more competition for his place in the team, however despite featuring more from the bench in the later stages of the season, his goal scoring form continued, scoring 8 goals after coming off the bench during the league season, the most of any player in EFL League One. He scored 21 goals in all competitions during the season, with 17 goals coming in EFL League One, helping Ipswich win promotion to the EFL Championship in his first season at the club after a second-placed finish. He scored Ipswich's 100th league goal of the season on the final day, opening the scoring in a 2–2 draw against Fleetwood Town. ^[45]

Charlton Athletic (loan)

On 19 January 2024, Ladapo joined Charlton Athletic on loan until the end of the season. ^[46]

International career

Ladapo is eligible to represent either England or Nigeria at international level. In June 2011, Ladapo was invited to join a provisional training camp for the Nigeria under-20 team held at Bisham Abbey in preparation for the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup. ^[47] However, he failed to make the final 21-man squad.

Style of play

Ladapo is known for his athleticism and goal scoring ability. Upon signing for Ipswich Town in May 2022, Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna said of Ladapo; “Freddie has a good physical stature, the ability to run beyond the defence, and is good in one-on-one situations.” ^[42]

Career statistics

As of match played 1 April 2024 ^[48]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Colchester United	2010–11 [49]	League One	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	2011–12 [50]	League One	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	2012–13 [51]	League One	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
	2013–14 [52]	League One	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
	Total		6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	0
Thurrock (loan)	2010–11 [48]	Conference South	2	1	0	0	—		0	0	2	1
Chelmsford City (loan)	2010–11 [48]	Conference South	3	0	0	0	—		0	0	3	0
Bishop's Stortford (loan)	2012–13 [48]	Conference North	3	0	0	0	—		0	0	3	0
Woking (loan)	2013–14 [48]	Conference Premier	4	0	0	0	—		0	0	4	0
Nuneaton Town (loan)	2013–14 [48]	Conference Premier	6	2	0	0	—		2 [lower-alpha 2]	0	8	2
Kidderminster Harriers	2013–14 [48]	Conference Premier	3	0	1	0	—		0	0	4	0
Hayes & Yeading (loan)	2013–14 [48] [53] [lower-alpha 1]	Conference South	16	2	0	0	—		0	0	16	2
Grays Athletic (loan)	2014–15 [56]	Isthmian League Premier Division	26	14	3	1	—		6 [lower-alpha 3]	2	35	17
Margate	2014–15	Isthmian League Premier Division	19	13	0	0	—		0	0	19	13
	2015–16 [48]	National League South	34	12	1	0	—		0	0	35	12
	Total		53	25	1	0	—		0	0	54	25
Crystal Palace	2015–16 [57]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	2016–17 [58]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	2017–18 [59]	Premier League	1	0	0	0	1	0	—		2	0
	Total		1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	2	0
Oldham Athletic (loan)	2016–17 [58]	League One	17	2	1	0	0	0	4 [lower-alpha 4]	1	22	3
Shrewsbury Town (loan)	2016–17 [58]	League One	15	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	15	4
Southend United	2017–18 [59]	League One	10	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	10	0
Plymouth Argyle	2018–19 [60]	League One	45	18	2	0	2	1	0	0	49	19
Rotherham United	2019–20 [61]	League One	31	14	3	2	2	1	3 [lower-alpha 4]	0	39	17
	2020–21 [62]	Championship	42	9	0	0	1	0	—		43	9
	2021–22 [63]	League One	31	11	2	1	1	0	7 [lower-alpha 4]	3	41	15
	Total		104	34	5	3	4	1	10	3	123	41
Ipswich Town	2022–23 [64]	League One	46	17	4	2	0	0	3 [lower-alpha 4]	2	53	21
	2023–24 [65]	Championship	17	2	1	0	4	2	—		22	4
	Total		63	19	5	2	4	2	3	2	75	25
Charlton Athletic (loan)	2023–24 [65]	League One	14	1	—		—		—		14	1
Career total			391	122	18	6	11	4	25	8	445	140

1. Although Soccerway credits Ladapo with three goals for Hayes & Yeading United, the team's official website states he only scored twice. The discrepancy occurs in the 15 April game against Dorchester Town – Soccerway credits the first goal to Ladapo, but the Hayes & Yeading United match report credits it to Frankie Merrifield. ^[54] The video highlights of the game verify Merrifield as the goalscorer. ^[55]
2. Appearances in FA Trophy
3. Two appearances and one goal in FA Trophy, two appearances and one goal in Isthmian League Cup, two appearances in Essex Senior Cup
4. Appearances in EFL Trophy

Honours

Margate

• Isthmian League Premier Division play-offs: 2015 ^[66]

Rotherham United

• EFL League One runner-up: 2019–20, ^[67] 2021–22 ^[68]
• EFL Trophy: 2021–22 ^[69]

Ipswich Town

• EFL League One runner-up: 2022–23 ^[70]

Individual

• EFL League One Player of the Month: October 2018 ^[71]

References

1. "Professional retain lists & free transfers 2012/13" (PDF). The Football League. May 2013. p. 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 July 2013. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
2. "FootballSquads – Colchester United – 2012/13". FootballSquads. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
3. "Freddie Ladapo". Ipswich Town F.C. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
4. "Player Profile – Freddie Ladapo". Colchester United F.C. Retrieved 27 December 2012.
5. "Colchester United's Freddie Ladapo joins Thurrock". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 December 2012.
6. Mead, John (2 March 2011). "Thurrock 1 Boreham Wood 3". Borehamwood Times. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
7. "Chelmsford City sign Freddie Ladapo and Rob Swaine". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 December 2012.
8. "Freddi Ladapo seals Colchester United deal". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 December 2012.
9. "Colchester 1–3 Brentford". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 December 2012.
10. "Freddie Extends U's Stay". Colchester United FC. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
11. "It's on the Cards as Freddie leaves U's for loan spell". Green'un 24. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
12. "Woking sign Colchester's Freddie Ladapo on loan". BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
13. "Chester 0–2 Woking". BBC Sport. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
14. "Nuneaton:Colchester striker Freddie Ladapo joins on loan". BBC Sport. Retrieved 6 November 2013.
15. "Hyde 2–2 Nuneaton". BBC Sport. Retrieved 6 November 2013.
16. "Welling 1–2 Nuneaton". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
17. "Freddie Ladapo: Kidderminster Harriers sign Colchester striker". BBC Sport. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
18. "Sunderland 1–0 Kidderminster". BBC Sport. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
19. Batham, Jon (17 March 2014). "Ladapo stunner finally secures Hayes & Yeading's first win of 2014". My London. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
20. "Ladapo Extends Hayes & Yeading Stay". Non League. 10 April 2014. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
21. "Freddie Ladapo joins Grays Athletic on long-term loan". Kidderminster Harriers F.C. 31 July 2014. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
22. "Freddie Ladapo leaves Harriers". Kidderminster Harriers F.C. 13 January 2015. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
23. "Ladapo Makes Margate Mov". Pitchero Non League. 14 January 2015. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
24. Day, Ryan (14 January 2015). "Freddie Steady Go". Margate F.C. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
25. "Ladapo Joins The Eagles". cpfc.co.uk. 30 March 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
26. "Crystal Palace have announced their squad for the three game tour of the USA and Canada next week". cpfc.co.uk. 7 July 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
27. "Ladapo Joins Oldham Athletic On Loan". cpfc.co.uk. 30 August 2016. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
28. "Shrewsbury Town sign Notts County winger Rodman and Crystal Palace striker Ladapo". BBC Sport. 5 January 2017. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
29. "Swindon 1−1 Shrewsbury". BBC Sport. 7 January 2017. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
30. "Shrewsbury 1-0 Bradford City". BBC Sport. 14 January 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
31. Ritson, Mark (1 October 2017). "It was a dream playing for Crystal Palace and now I hope for more". croydonadvertiser.co.uk. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
32. "Ladapo Moves To Southend United". cpfc.co.uk. 31 January 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
33. "Revealed: The striker who gave late snub to Dons on transfer deadline day". 16 February 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
34. "Southend United: Captain Anton Ferdinand transfer-listed and four released". BBC Sport. 9 May 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
35. "Freddie Ladapo: Plymouth Argyle sign ex-Southend United striker". BBC Sport. 9 June 2016. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
36. "Jamie Ness: Plymouth Argyle release midfielder and offer deals to 12". BBC Sport. 7 May 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
37. "Freddie Ladapo: Rotherham United sign Plymouth Argyle striker for club-record fee". BBC Sport. 25 June 2019.
38. "Freddie Ladapo: Rotherham United striker hands in transfer request". BBC Sport. 6 January 2022.
39. "Paul Warne on why Freddie Ladapo may not leave Rotherham despite shock transfer request". Yorkshire Post. 6 January 2022.
40. "Club statement - Freddie Ladapo". Rotherham United. 6 January 2022.
41. "READ : Millers confirm retained list ahead of 2022/23 Sky Bet Championship campaign". www.themillers.co.uk. 17 May 2022. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
42. "Freddie Ladapo To Join Town". itfc.co.uk. 30 May 2022.
43. "Ipswich Town 1 - 1 Bolton Wanderers". BBC Sport . 30 July 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
44. "Ipswich Town 6 - 0 Northampton Town". Sky Sports . 30 August 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
45. "Ipswich Town 2 - 2 Fleetwood Town". BBC Sport . 7 May 2023. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
46. "FREDDIE LADAPO JOINS ON LOAN". Charlton Athletic Official Site. 19 January 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
47. "Ladapo excited by Nigeria call". Kickoff.com. Retrieved 27 December 2012.
48. "F. Ladapo". Soccerway. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
49. "Games played by Freddie Ladapo in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
50. "Games played by Freddie Ladapo in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
51. "Games played by Freddie Ladapo in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
52. "Games played by Freddie Ladapo in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
53. "Hayes & Yeading United Football Club - A-Z of Hayes & Yeading United". www.hyufc.com. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
54. "Hayes & Yeading United Football Club - Match Report". www.hyufc.com. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
55. Dorchester Town v Hayes & Yeading - 15 Apr 2014 , retrieved 31 May 2022
56. "Profile: Freddie Ladapo". Grays Athletic FC Statistics Archive. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
57. "Games played by Freddie Ladapo in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
58. "Games played by Freddie Ladapo in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
59. "Games played by Freddie Ladapo in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
60. "Games played by Freddie Ladapo in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
61. "Games played by Freddie Ladapo in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
62. "Games played by Freddie Ladapo in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
63. "Games played by Freddie Ladapo in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
64. "Games played by Freddie Ladapo in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
65. "Games played by Freddie Ladapo in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
66. Gidley, Andrew (17 May 2015). "Hendon 0 Margate 1 - Ryman League Premier Division play-off final - match report". Kent Online. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
67. Fisher, Ben (9 June 2020). "League One and League Two clubs vote to curtail season and hold play-offs". The Guardian .
68. "Gillingham 0 - 2 Rotherham". BBC Sport . 30 April 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
69. Peddy, Chris (3 April 2022). "Rotherham United 4–2 Sutton United". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
70. "Fleetwood Town 2 - 2 Ipswich Town". BBC Sport. 7 May 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
71. "Plymouth Argyle striker Freddie Ladapo has been named the Sky Bet League One Player of the Month for October". English Football League. 9 November 2018. Retrieved 19 November 2022.

External links

• Profile at the Ipswich Town F.C. website
• Freddie Ladapo at FootballDatabase.eu
• Freddie Ladapo at Soccerbase