Sam Gallagher (footballer, born 1995)

Samuel James Gallagher (born 15 September 1995) is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Blackburn Rovers. Originally a member of the Plymouth Argyle youth academy, Gallagher joined Southampton in 2012 and earned a call-up to the first team at the beginning of the 2013–14 season. He spent the 2017–18 season on loan to EFL Championship club Birmingham City.

Sam Gallagher
Personal information
Full name Samuel James Gallagher[1]
Date of birth (1995-09-15) 15 September 1995
Place of birth Crediton, England
Height 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in)[2]
Playing position(s) Striker
Club information
Current team
 Blackburn Rovers
Number 9
Youth career
2006–2012 Plymouth Argyle
2012–2013 Southampton
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013–2019 Southampton 22 (1)
2015–2016 → Milton Keynes Dons (loan) 13 (0)
2016–2017 → Blackburn Rovers (loan) 43 (11)
2017–2018 → Birmingham City (loan) 33 (6)
2019– Blackburn Rovers 42 (6)
National team
2013 Scotland U19 3 (1)
2014 England U19 3 (1)
2015 England U20 4 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 21:54, 22 July 2020 (UTC)

Club career

Gallagher was born in Crediton, Devon, and originally played for the Plymouth Argyle youth academy.

Southampton

In April 2012 he joined Southampton amidst reported interest from fellow Premier League clubs Everton and Newcastle United.[3] The striker made his debut for the Southampton first team on 6 November 2013 in the League Cup against Sunderland, coming on as a 79th-minute substitute for Gastón Ramírez.[3][4] After scoring a second-half hat-trick against local rivals Portsmouth in a 7–0 victory in the FA Youth Cup in December.[5] Gallagher continued to make semi-regular substitute appearances for the first team, before scoring his first senior goal against Championship side Yeovil Town in the FA Cup on 25 January 2014.[6] He made his full senior debut for the club on 28 January when he started in a league match against leaders Arsenal, coming close to scoring his first league goal on a number of occasions.[7] He scored his first Premier League goal on 15 March 2014, in a 4–2 win against Norwich City.[8] On 10 May 2014, Gallagher was awarded a long-term contract extension with the Saints until the summer of 2018.[9]

Following his successful loan to Blackburn Rovers, Gallagher signed a new improved four-year contract with Southampton on 1 July 2017.[10]

Milton Keynes Dons (loan)

On 29 July 2015, Gallagher joined Championship side Milton Keynes Dons on a season-long loan.[11][12] Gallagher made his debut for MK Dons in a 4–1 win away to Rotherham United on 8 August, providing an assist within four minutes. On 6 January 2016, having failed to score in 15 appearances, he was recalled by Southampton.[13]

Blackburn Rovers (loan)

On 11 August 2016, Gallagher joined Championship side Blackburn Rovers on a season-long loan deal.[14] He scored his first goal for Blackburn in a 2–2 draw with Burton Albion on 20 August.[15] On 20 October, Blackburn's manager, Owen Coyle expressed his desire to sign Gallagher on a permanent contract, after he scored five goals from nine starting appearances.[16] He finished the season with 12 goals from 47 appearances – 11 from 43 in the league – as Blackburn were relegated to League One.[17][18]

Birmingham City (loan)

Gallagher joined another Championship club, Birmingham City, on 21 August 2017 on loan for the 2017–18 season.[19] As one of 13 new arrivals in a squad whose manager, Harry Redknapp, was sacked a few weeks later, Gallagher had an unsettling start to the season.[20] He made his debut on 26 August playing as a lone striker in Birmingham's 2–0 home defeat against Reading; according to the Birmingham Mail's reporter, he "was totally starved of service".[21] His first goal, deflected off defender Michael Dawson in stoppage time in a 6–1 loss at Hull City with incoming manager Steve Cotterill watching from the stands, took nine appearances to arrive.[22] He welcomed Cotterill's fitness regime, and accepted that team selection would be based on the likelihood of those selected being able to make an impact.[20][23] Amid speculation that the club might try to end his loan early, he was given a chance on the wing – a position he had played with Blackburn – after Isaac Vassell sustained a long-term injury.[24][25]

He was then moved into the centre,[25] and on 16 December, in a 2–1 defeat at home to Queens Park Rangers, he was the Birmingham Mail's man of the match, albeit in a poor team performance, as he touched home the rebound from Maikel Kieftenbeld's shot as well as making a contribution defensively.[26] Gallagher opened the scoring in the next match, away to Sunderland, and was sent off for two yellow cards – one for simulation, the second for a foul – as Birmingham held on for a draw.[27] After serving his one-match ban, the scoring spree continued with a goal in four of the six matches up to the end of January – two wins and a draw in the league, and the only goal of the FA Cup third-round tie against Burton Albion[28] – but then the goals dried up. When Garry Monk took over in early March, he used Gallagher from the bench in his first match and partnering Lukas Jutkiewicz in a two-man attack in the next, after which a calf injury kept him out until the last three matches of the season.[28][29] He was a substitute in the first two, and started alongside Jutkiewicz in the last, a 3–1 win at home to Fulham that ensured Championship survival.[28][30] His six goals made him the team's top league goalscorer.[31]

Blackburn Rovers

On 13 July 2019, Gallagher joined Blackburn Rovers on a four-year deal for an undisclosed fee.[32]

International career

Gallagher has a Glaswegian father, and played three games for Scotland at under-19 level. In February 2014 shortly after his father's death, Gallagher switched allegiance to his birth country, England.[33] On 24 February 2014, he was called up by the England under-19s for a friendly match against Turkey.[34][35] He made his debut in the game, which England won 3–0.[36]

Club statistics
As of match played 8 March 2020
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Southampton 2013–14[37] Premier League 1811110—202
2014–15[38] Premier League 000000—00
2018–19[39] Premier League 401010—60
Total 2212120—262
Milton Keynes Dons (loan) 2015–16[40] Championship 1300020—150
Blackburn Rovers (loan) 2016–17[17] Championship 43112120—4712
Birmingham City (loan) 2017–18[28] Championship 3361100—347
Blackburn Rovers 2019–20[41] Championship 4261011—447
Career total 153246371—16628

Honours

Southampton U21

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References
  1. "Sam Gallagher". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
  2. "Player Profile Sam Gallagher". Premier League. Archived from the original on 25 March 2015. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  3. Errington, Chris (6 November 2013). "Former Plymouth Argyle prospect makes debut for Southampton". The Herald. Plymouth. Archived from the original on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  4. "Sunderland 2–1 Saints (COC): Report". Southampton F.C. 6 November 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  5. "Saints 7–0 Pompey: FA Youth Cup Report". Southampton F.C. 10 December 2013. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  6. "Southampton 2–0 Yeovil Town". BBC Sport. 25 January 2014. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
  7. "Saints 2–2 Arsenal: Report". Southampton F.C. 28 January 2014. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  8. Emons, Michael (15 March 2014). "Southampton 4–2 Norwich". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
  9. "Gallagher extends contract to 2018". Southampton F.C. 10 May 2014. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
  10. "New deal for Gallagher". Southampton F.C. 1 July 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  11. "Dons sign in-demand Gallagher". MK Dons F.C. 29 July 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
  12. "Gallagher joins MK Dons on loan". Southampton F.C. 29 July 2015. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
  13. "Sam Gallagher: Southampton recall striker from MK Dons loan". BBC Sport. 6 January 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  14. "Rovers sign Saints striker". Blackburn Rovers F.C. 11 August 2016. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
  15. "Blackburn 2–2 Burton". BBC Sport. 20 August 2016. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
  16. "Sam Gallagher: Blackburn boss Owen Coyle 'would love to' buy Southampton striker". BBC Sport. 20 October 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  17. "Games played by Sam Gallagher in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  18. Doyle, Paul (7 May 2017). "Blackburn relegated to League One despite winning at Brentford". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
  19. "Southampton's Sam Gallagher completes Birmingham loan move". Sky Sports. 21 August 2017. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
  20. Ireland, Shane (15 November 2017). "Sam Gallagher opens up on Harry Redknapp's sacking, his Birmingham City loan spell and more". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 8 May 2018 – via msn.com.
  21. Dicken, Alex (26 August 2017). "How Cheikh Ndoye and the other Birmingham City players rated in the defeat to Reading". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
  22. Dick, Brian (1 October 2017). "The Birmingham City performance and result at Hull underlined a significant issue Steve Cotterill must address". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  23. Dick, Brian (4 November 2017). "I won't hide from the criticism, says Birmingham City boss Steve Cotterill". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  24. Chapman, Joseph (30 October 2017). "Birmingham City: Why I played Sam Gallagher on the wing – Steve Cotterill". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  25. Dick, Brian (24 January 2018). "Sam Gallagher analysis: The striker's Birmingham City future and how he's turned his season around". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  26. Dick, Brian (16 December 2017). "Birmingham City player ratings: Sam Gallagher gets a 7, the other scores aren't that high after QPR defeat". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
    "Birmingham 1–2 QPR: Jack Robinson double wins it for Hoops". Sky Sports. Press Association. 16 December 2017. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  27. "Sunderland 1–1 Birmingham: Blues earn point". Sky Sports. Press Association. 23 December 2017. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  28. "Games played by Sam Gallagher in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  29. Dick, Brian (19 April 2018). "Birmingham City have been handed a major boost ahead of Sheffield United". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  30. "Birmingham 3–1 Fulham: Cottagers miss out on promotion as Blues secure safety". Sky Sports. Press Association. 6 May 2018. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  31. "Birmingham 2017/18 Player appearances". Soccerway. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  32. "Sam Gallagher: Blackburn Rovers sign Southampton forward". BBC Sport. 13 July 2019. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
  33. Fisher, Stewart (26 February 2017). "Sam Gallagher is a Premier League star in the making - Owen Coyle". The Herald. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  34. Reid, Jamie (24 February 2014). "Noel Blake names England U19s squad for Turkey fixture". The Football Association. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
  35. Lucas, Jim (24 February 2014). "Four Saints in England U19 squad". Southampton F.C. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
  36. Reid, Jamie (5 March 2014). "England U19s shine in Chester as Young Lions beat Turkey". The Football Association. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
  37. "Games played by Sam Gallagher in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  38. "Games played by Sam Gallagher in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  39. "Games played by Sam Gallagher in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
  40. "Games played by Sam Gallagher in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  41. "Games played by Sam Gallagher in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  42. "Report: Southampton 2–1 Blackburn Rovers (Under-21 Premier League Cup final second leg)". Southampton F.C. 20 April 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
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