Lee Evans (footballer)

Lee Evans

Evans playing for Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2014
Personal information
Full name	Lee Evans [1]
Date of birth	(1994-07-24) 24 July 1994 (age 30)
Place of birth	Newport, Wales
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) [2]
Position(s)	Midfielder
Team information
Current team	Blackpool
Number	7
Youth career
	Malpas FC
	Bristol Rovers
2009–2012	Newport County
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2012–2013	Newport County	25	(3)
2013–2018	Wolverhampton Wanderers	59	(3)
2015–2016	→ Bradford City (loan)	35	(4)
2017–2018	→ Wigan Athletic (loan)	20	(1)
2018–2019	Sheffield United	21	(2)
2018–2019	→ Wigan Athletic (loan)	20	(0)
2019–2021	Wigan Athletic	67	(5)
2021–2024	Ipswich Town	52	(6)
2024	Portsmouth	4	(0)
2024–	Blackpool	10	(1)
International career‡
2012	Wales Semi-Pro	2	(0)
2013–2016	Wales U21	13	(2)
2017–	Wales	4	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18:45, 5 October 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21:53, 20 March 2019 (UTC)

Lee Evans (born 24 July 1994) is a Welsh professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL League One club Blackpool and the Wales national football team.

Evans started his senior career at hometown club Newport County, having previously spent time in the youth systems at Bristol Rovers and Malpas FC. He made his debut for Newport in March 2012 at the age of 17. During his time at Newport, he helped the club to the 2012 FA Trophy Final and promotion to the Football League through the Conference Premier play-offs in 2013. He joined Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2013, making his Football League debut in August 2013. He helped Wolves to win the League One title during his first season at the club in 2013–14. He spent five years at Wolverhampton Wanderers, spending time on loan at Bradford City and Wigan Athletic, helping the later to win the League One title in 2017–18. In January 2018 he joined Sheffield United. He joined former club Wigan Athletic on loan in August 2018, before signing permanently for the club in January 2019. He spent the following three seasons at Wigan before joining Ipswich Town in June 2021. On 1 March 2024, he signed for Portsmouth of League One on a deal until the end of the season. He made his debut for Portsmouth on 29 March 2024, coming off the bench in a 3-1 win for Pompey away at Wycombe Wanderers. ^[3]

He featured for Wales at Semi-Pro level in 2012, whilst also winning caps for the Wales U21 team between 2013 and 2016. In November 2017, Evans made his debut for the senior Wales national team.

Club career

Newport County

Having been released by Bristol Rovers as a 15-year-old, ^[4] Evans began his professional career at his hometown club Newport County, for whom he made his senior league debut aged 17 on 20 March 2012 in a 1–1 draw at Cambridge United. ^[5] After only three Conference Premier appearances, he ended the season playing in the FA Trophy Final on 12 May at Wembley Stadium, where Newport lost 0–2 to York City. ^[6]

During the following season, in which the club regained its Football League status after a 25-year absence, ^[7] Evans became a regular starting player in the Newport team, making 25 appearances in all competitions, scoring three goals. ^[8]

Wolverhampton Wanderers

In January 2013, Evans signed a 2+1⁄2-year deal with Wolverhampton Wanderers, then of the Championship, for an undisclosed transfer fee, reported to be £200,000. ^{[9] [10]} Having spent the remainder of the 2012–13 season that saw Wolves relegated to League One as part of their youth development squad, he was identified over the summer by new manager Kenny Jackett to become part of his plans for the first-team. ^[11]

The midfielder made his club and Football League debut on 3 August 2013 in a goalless draw against Preston North End. ^[12] He scored his first goal for the club a week later when he netted in a 4–0 win against Gillingham. ^[13] He made 28 appearances during his first full season at Wolves, helping the team on to win the 2013–14 Football League One title. ^[14]

He continued to feature for the Wolverhampton Wanderers first-team following promotion to the Championship. He made his Championship debut on the opening day of the season, starting in a 1–0 win against Norwich City. He scored his first goal of the season on 28 September in a 3–3 draw with Reading. Evans made 21 appearances during the 2014–15 season, scoring once. ^[15]

After returning from his loan spell at Bradford City, Evans featured for Wolves during the 2016–17 season, making 18 appearances in all competitions over the course of the season. ^[16] In February 2017, he signed a three-and-a-half-year contract extension at Molineux until 2020. ^[17]

Bradford City (loan)

On 20 August 2015, Evans signed for Bradford City on loan from Wolves, initially until 9 January 2016. ^[18] He made his debut for Bradford in a goalless draw with Barnsley on 22 August 2015. He scored his first goal for the club on 3 October, netting the opening goal in a 3–1 away win against Rochdale. In January, Evans' loan at Bradford was extended until the end of the season. ^[19] He scored four goals in 41 appearances in all competitions and helped Bradford to reach the League One play-offs following a fifth-placed finish. ^[20]

Wigan Athletic (loan)

On 31 July 2017, Evans completed a season-long loan to League One side Wigan Athletic. ^[21] He made his debut for Wigan on the opening day of the season in a 1–0 win against Milton Keynes Dons. He scored his first goal for Wigan in a 4–1 win against Bury on 13 August 2017. ^[22] He went on to make 23 appearances and score 3 goals before being recalled from his loan spell by his parent club Wolverhampton Wanderers at the beginning of the January transfer window. ^[23]

Sheffield United

On 10 January 2018, Evans joined Championship club Sheffield United for an undisclosed fee, reported to be around £750,000. ^[24] He made his debut for Sheffield United on 20 January in a 2–1 win against Norwich City. He scored his first goals for the club on 10 April, netting a brace in a 2–1 win against Middlesbrough. He made 19 appearances for Sheffield United during the second-half of the 2017–18 season, scoring twice. ^[23]

Return to Wigan Athletic

On 10 August 2018, Evans joined fellow Championship club Wigan Athletic on loan. He featured regularly for Wigan during the first-half of the season, making 20 appearances before signing permanently for the club on 1 January 2019. ^[25] He made a total of 35 appearances for Wigan during the 2018–19 season, scoring once. ^[26]

Evans continued to feature as a first-team regular during the 2019–20 season, scoring his first goal of the season on the opening day of the campaign, the winner in a 3–2 home win against Cardiff City. He scored two goals in 33 appearances for Wigan throughout the course of the season, as the club suffered relegation to League One due to a points deduction, despite a mid-table league finish in the regular season. ^[27]

Following Wigan's relegation to League One, the club was placed into administration. Despite this, Evans was one of the few senior players to remain at the Wigan. He started the season as a regular in the first-team, before suffering a knee injury in December which required surgery. ^[28] He returned from injury in March, going on to score two goals in 24 appearances over the course of the season to help Wigan avoid relegation. ^[29]

Ipswich Town

On 4 June 2021, Evans joined Ipswich Town on a three-year deal, reuniting with his former manager Paul Cook. ^[30] He made his debut for Ipswich on the opening day of the 2021–22 season in a 2–2 home draw against Morecambe at Portman Road. ^[31] On 28 September 2021, Evans scored his first career hat-trick in a 6–0 home win against Doncaster Rovers. ^[32] He captained Ipswich during the early months of the season, before his former teammate Sam Morsy took the armband full-time after being named as club captain in October. ^[33] Evans departed on 2 February 2024. ^[34]

Portsmouth

On 1 March 2024, Evans joined Portsmouth on a deal until the end of the season. ^[35] On 1 May 2024, the club said he would be released in the summer, when his contract expired. ^[36]

Blackpool

On 8 July 2024, Evans joined League One side Blackpool on a two-year contract. ^[37] He scored his first goal for the club on 13 August 2024, the final goal in a 4–0 victory at Burton Albion in the EFL Cup. ^[38]

International career

Having previously played two matches for the Wales Semi-pro team in 2012, Evans made his debut for the Wales under-21 team on 6 September 2013 against San Marino. ^[39] On 5 September 2014, Evans scored his first goal for Wales under-21 in a 2–2 draw with Finland. ^[40]

On 1 October 2014 Evans received his first call-up to the Wales senior national team along with five other uncapped players. ^[41] He made his senior debut for Wales on 14 November 2017 as a second-half substitute during a 1–1 draw with Panama at the Cardiff City Stadium. ^[42] He made his first start for Wales on 20 March 2019 in a 1–0 win against Trinidad and Tobago at the Racecourse Ground. ^[43]

Career statistics

Club

As of end of 2023–24 season

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
Newport County	2011–12 [8]	Conference Premier	3	0	0	0	–		3 [lower-alpha 1]	0	6	0
	2012–13 [8]	Conference Premier	22	3	2	0	–		1 [lower-alpha 2]	0	25	3
	Total		25	3	2	0	0	0	4	0	31	3
Wolverhampton Wanderers	2013–14 [14]	League One	26	2	1	0	1	0	0	0	28	2
	2014–15 [15]	Championship	18	1	2	0	1	0	–		21	1
	2015–16 [20]	Championship	0	0	0	0	0	0	–		0	0
	2016–17 [16]	Championship	15	0	2	0	1	0	–		18	0
	2017–18 [23]	Championship	0	0	0	0	0	0	–		0	0
	Total		59	3	5	0	3	0	0	0	67	3
Bradford City (loan)	2015–16 [20]	League One	35	4	3	0	0	0	3 [lower-alpha 3]	0	41	4
Wigan Athletic (loan)	2017–18 [23]	League One	20	1	2	1	0	0	1 [lower-alpha 4]	1	23	3
Sheffield United	2017–18 [23]	Championship	19	2	0	0	0	0	–		19	2
	2018–19 [26]	Championship	2	0	0	0	0	0	–		2	0
	Total		21	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	21	2
Wigan Athletic (loan)	2018–19 [26]	Championship	20	0	0	0	0	0	–		20	0
Wigan Athletic	2018–19 [26]	Championship	14	1	1	0	0	0	–		15	1
	2019–20 [27]	Championship	32	2	1	0	0	0	–		33	2
	2020–21 [29]	League One	21	2	0	0	1	0	2 [lower-alpha 4]	0	24	2
	Total		87	5	2	0	1	0	2	0	92	5
Ipswich Town	2021–22 [44]	League One	27	3	1	0	0	0	1 [lower-alpha 4]	0	29	3
	2022–23 [45]	League One	23	3	2	0	1	0	1 [lower-alpha 4]	0	27	3
	2023–24 [46]	Championship	2	0	0	0	3	0	–		5	0
	Total		52	6	3	0	4	0	2	0	61	6
Portsmouth	2023–24 [46]	League One	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
Career total			303	24	17	1	8	0	12	1	340	26

1. One appearance in FA Trophy, two appearances in Welsh Cup
2. Appearance in FA Trophy
3. One appearance in Football League Trophy, two appearances in League One play-offs
4. Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy

International

As of match played 20 March 2019 ^[47]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Wales	2017	1	0
	2018	2	0
	2019	1	0
Total		4	0

Honours

Newport County

• FA Trophy runner-up: 2011–12 ^[48]

Wolverhampton Wanderers

• Football League One: 2013–14 ^[49]

Wigan Athletic

• EFL League One: 2017–18 ^[50]

Ipswich Town

• EFL League One runner-up: 2022–23 ^[51]

References

1. "Club list of registered players: As at 20th May 2017" (PDF). The Football League. p. 41. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
2. "Lee Evans profile". Ipswich Town . Retrieved 9 July 2021.
3. "Pompey Sign Evans". www.portsmouthfc.co.uk. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
4. "First Person: Up and coming Newport football talent, Lee Evans". South Wales Argus. 13 February 2013.
5. "Cambridge 1–1 Newport". BBC Sport. 20 March 2012.
6. "Wrexham 0–2 Newport". BBC Sport. 5 May 2013.
7. "FA Trophy: Newport County 0–2 York City". BBC Sport. 12 May 2012.
8. Lee Evans at Soccerway. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
9. "Wolves sign Newport County youngster Lee Evans". BBC Sport. 31 January 2013.
10. "The Potential of Youth". Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. 26 June 2013. Archived from the original on 18 June 2014.
11. "Evans aims to impress". Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. 9 July 2013.
12. "Preston 0–0 Wolves". BBC Sport. 3 August 2013.
13. "Wolves v Gillingham". BBC Sport. 10 August 2013.
14. "Games played by Lee Evans in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
15. "Games played by Lee Evans in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
16. "Games played by Lee Evans in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
17. "Lee Evans: Wolves midfielder signs new three-and-a-half year deal until 2020". BBC Sport. 13 February 2017.
18. "Evans arrives at City". Bradford City. 20 August 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
19. "Lee Evans extends Bradford loan". Euro Sport. 12 January 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
20. "Games played by Lee Evans in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
21. "Wolves' Lee Evans and Leicester's Callum Elder join Wigan on season-long loans". BBC Sport. 31 July 2017.
22. "Wigan 4–1 Bury". BBC Sport. 13 August 2017. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
23. "Games played by Lee Evans in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
24. "Double Swoop: Evans and Wilson". Sheffield United Football Club. 10 January 2018.
25. "Lee Evans: Wigan Athletic sign Sheffield United's Wales midfielder on loan". BBC Sport. 10 August 2018. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
26. "Games played by Lee Evans in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
27. "Games played by Lee Evans in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
28. "Wigan Athletic star 'could be out for months'". Wigan Today. 18 December 2020. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
29. "Games played by Lee Evans in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
30. "Lee Evans joins Town". Ipswich Town F.C. 4 June 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
31. "Ipswich Town 2 – 2 Morecambe". BBC Sport . 7 August 2021. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
32. Warren, Andy (28 September 2021). "'This means a lot to me' – Hat-trick hero Evans savours Doncaster treble". East Anglian Daily Times. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
33. "'It was always going to be' – Cook confirms Morsy as Town's club captain". East Anglian Daily Times. 22 October 2021. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
34. "LEE EVANS TO DEPART". Ipswich Town FC. 2 February 2024. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
35. "Lee Evans: Portsmouth sign former Ipswich Town midfielder". BBC Sport. 1 March 2024. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
36. "Pompey Retained List: Summer 2024". www.portsmouthfc.co.uk. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
37. "Seasiders Sign Lee Evans". www.blackpoolfc.co.uk. 8 July 2024. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
38. Burton Albion 0–4 Blackpool – Sky Sports, 13 August 2024
39. "San Marino U21 1–0 Wales U21". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
40. "Finland & Wales Draw 2–2". FAW. 5 September 2014.
41. "Allen & Ramsey miss Wales qualifiers". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
42. "Wales 1–1 Panama". BBC Sport. 14 November 2017. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
43. "Wales 1–0 Trinidad and Tobago". BBC Sport. 20 March 2019. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
44. "Games played by Lee Evans in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
45. "Games played by Lee Evans in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
46. "Games played by Lee Evans in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
47. "Lee Evans". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
48. "FA Trophy: Newport County 0–2 York City". BBC Sport. 12 May 2012.
49. "Wolves crowned League One Champions". Express & Star. 22 April 2014.
50. Anderson, John, ed. (2018). Football Yearbook 2018–2019. London: Headline Publishing Group. pp. 382–383. ISBN   978-1-4722-6106-9.
51. "Fleetwood Town 2 - 2 Ipswich Town". BBC Sport. 7 May 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.

External links

• Lee Evans profile at the Ipswich Town F.C. website
• Lee Evans – UEFA competition record ( archive ) 
• Lee Evans at National-Football-Teams.com
• Lee Evans at Soccerbase