Ellis Simms
{{short description|English footballer (born 2001)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2023}}
{{Infobox football biography
|name = Ellis Simms
|image = Ellis Reco Simms 2016.jpg
|image_size =
|caption = Simms in 2016
|full_name = Ellis Reco Simms{{cite web |url=https://www.premierleague.com/news/2470630 |title=Updated squad lists for 2021/22 Premier League |publisher=Premier League |date=4 February 2022 |access-date=18 April 2022}}
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|2001|1|5|df=y}}{{cite web |url=https://www.premierleague.com/players/19925/Ellis-Simms/overview |title=Ellis Simms: Overview |publisher=Premier League |access-date=18 April 2022}}
|birth_place = Oldham, England
|height = {{convert|1.91|m|order=flip}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/football/player/ellis-simms-JTkz1KK1Gd56bDBg/|title=Ellis Simms - Championship Attacker - News, Stats, Bio and more|first=The|last=Athletic|website=The Athletic}}
|position = Striker
|currentclub = Coventry City
|clubnumber = 9
|youthyears1 =
|youthclubs1 = Blackburn Rovers
|youthyears2 =
|youthclubs2 = Manchester City
|youthyears3 = 2017–2020
|youthclubs3 = Everton
|years1 = 2020–2023
|clubs1 = Everton
|caps1 = 12
|goals1 = 1
|years2 = 2021
|clubs2 = → Blackpool (loan)
|caps2 = 21
|goals2 = 8
|years3 = 2022
|clubs3 = → Heart of Midlothian (loan)
|caps3 = 17
|goals3 = 5
|years4 = 2022
|clubs4 = → Sunderland (loan)
|caps4 = 17
|goals4 = 7
|years5 = 2023–
|clubs5 = Coventry City
|caps5 = 89
|goals5 = 19
|club-update = 14:42, 4 May 2025 (UTC)
}}
Ellis Reco Simms (born 5 January 2001) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for {{English football updater|CoventrC}} club Coventry City.
Club career
File:Next -Generation - Trophy 05.jpg in 2016.]]
Simms was born in Oldham, Greater Manchester.{{cite web|url=https://int.soccerway.com/players/ellis-simms/453126/ |title=England - E. Simms - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway |publisher=Int.soccerway.com |access-date=20 January 2021}} After playing for Blackburn Rovers and Manchester City as a youth, he signed for Everton at the age of 16. In July 2017, Simms won the golden boot at the CEE Cup in Czech Republic with six goals in four games.{{Cite web |date=26 July 2017 |title=CEE Cup: Ceny |url=https://www.ceecup.org/archives/2017/cz/ceny.php.html |access-date=30 November 2022 |website=CEE Cup |language=Czech}} He turned professional in 2019.{{Cite web|url=https://www.evertonfc.com/players/19925/ellis-simms|title=Player Profiles | Everton Football Club|website=www.evertonfc.com}}
In January 2021, Simms moved on loan to Blackpool,{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/55734154 |title=Ellis Simms: Everton loan striker to Blackpool for rest of the season - BBC Sport |work=BBC Sport |access-date=20 January 2021}} making his debut on 23 January 2021 in the FA Cup as a substitute against Brighton & Hove Albion in a 2–1 loss.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/55766748 |title=Brighton 2-1 Blackpool |date=23 January 2021 |publisher=BBC|access-date=28 January 2021 }} In his second appearance and his league debut the following week, again as a substitute, he scored his first professional goals when he scored twice in a 5–0 win over Wigan Athletic.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/55713923 |title=Wigan 0-5 Blackpool |date=27 January 2021 |publisher=BBC|access-date=28 January 2021 }}
On 26 January 2022, Simms joined Scottish Premiership side Heart of Midlothian on loan for the remainder of the 2021–22 season.{{Cite web |url=https://www.heartsfc.co.uk/news/article/striker-ellis-simms-joins-on-loan-from-everton |title=Striker Ellis Simms joins on loan from Everton |publisher=Heart of Midlothian FC |date=26 January 2022 |accessdate=26 January 2022}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/60145305|title=Hearts sign Everton's Simms on loan|work=BBC Sport }} He made his league debut the same day in a 2–1 loss at home to Celtic, coming off the bench at half time to replace Josh Ginnelly.{{Cite news|title=Heart of Midlothian 1-2 Celtic|language=en-GB|work=BBC Sport|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/60038982|access-date=28 January 2022}} He scored his first goal for Hearts three days later in a 2–0 home win against Motherwell.{{Cite news|title=Heart of Midlothian 2-0 Motherwell|language=en-GB|work=BBC Sport|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/60093481|access-date=31 January 2022}}
On 29 July 2022, Simms signed for EFL Championship club Sunderland on loan for the duration of the 2022–23 season.{{cite web|url=https://safc.com/news/team-news/2022/july/ellis-simms-signs-for-sunderland|title=Ellis Simms signs for SAFC|website=safc.com|date=29 July 2022|accessdate=29 July 2022}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/62346075|title=Sunderland loan striker Simms from Everton|work=BBC Sport }} He was recalled on 31 December 2022.{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/everton-ellis-simms-sunderland-transfer-news-b2253991.html|title=Everton recall Ellis Simms from Sunderland loan to boost attacking options|date=31 December 2022|website=The Independent}} He scored his first goal for Everton on 18 March 2023, scoring a late equaliser in a 2–2 draw away at Chelsea.{{Cite news |date=17 March 2023 |title=Premier League: Simms scores late Everton leveller at Chelsea |language=en-GB |work=BBC Sport |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/live/football/64405206 |access-date=18 March 2023}}
In June 2023, reports began to emerge that newly promoted EFL Championship club Ipswich Town were interested in signing Simms, with an initial bid of up to £4m believed to have been rejected by Everton.{{cite web|url=https://www.sunderlandecho.com/sport/football/sunderland-afc/ps4m-ellis-simms-bid-report-disputed-ps2m-sunderland-players-significant-sell-on-clause-4199339|title=Sunderland AFC transfer gossip: £4m Ellis Simms bid...|website=sunderlandecho.com|date=28 June 2023|accessdate=28 June 2023}}
In July 2023 he was linked with a transfer to Coventry City,{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/66128893|title=Coventry interested in signing Everton's Simms|via=www.bbc.co.uk}} and signed for the club later that month on a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/66135277|title=Everton sell Simms to Coventry on four-year deal|via=www.bbc.co.uk}}
On 26 February 2024, Simms scored his first career hat trick in the first half of the fifth round of the 2023–24 FA Cup in a 5–0 rout of Maidstone United. After scoring his first goal, Simms held up his jersey to reveal a shirt bearing the name of his teammate, Tatsuhiro Sakamoto, who had been hospitalized due to an injury sustained during a game against Preston North End three days earlier.{{Cite news |last=Brennan |first=Stuart |date=2024-02-26 |title=Coventry City 5-0 Maidstone United: Ellis Simms' first senior hat trick ends Stones' brave FA Cup run |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/68384184 |access-date=2024-02-26 |work=BBC}}{{Cite news |date=2024-02-23 |title=Coventry's Tatsuhiro Sakamoto suffers 'terrible' injury in Preston defeat |url=https://www.sportsmax.tv/football/item/141240-coventry-s-tatsuhiro-sakamoto-suffers-terrible-injury-in-preston-defeat |access-date=2024-02-26 |work=SportsMax}} On 16 March, Simms scored a brace, including an equalizing stoppage time goal, against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, ending the game 3–2 in Coventry City's favour and helping the team progress beyond the quarter-finals for the first time since the 1986–87 FA Cup.{{Cite news |last=Stone |first=Simon |date=2024-03-16 |title=Wolves 2-3 Coventry: Haji Wright scores 100th-minute winner in FA Cup classic |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/68573287 |access-date=2024-03-16 |work=BBC}}
International career
Simms is eligible to play internationally for England, Poland{{cite web | url=https://www.randrlife.co.uk/everton-forward-to-play-with-the-polish-national-team-we-talked-to-his-father/ | title=Everton forward to play with the Polish national team? We talked to his father | date=22 December 2021 }} and Jamaica.{{cite web|url=https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/young-everton-striker-ellis-simms-15182136 |title=Young Everton striker Ellis Simms enjoying rich scoring form |date=21 September 2018 |publisher=Liverpoolecho|access-date=27 March 2021}} On 6 November 2020, he was called up to the England U20 squad for a training camp.{{cite web|url=https://www.thefa.com/news/2020/nov/06/england-development-squads-named-for-training-camps-061120|title=THREE ENGLAND MEN'S DEVELOPMENT SQUADS WILL MEET FOR TRAINING CAMPS IN NOVEMBER|publisher=The Football Association|date=6 November 2020|accessdate=15 July 2021}} The following week, he played for England U20s as a second-half substitute in an unofficial friendly match against Aston Villa.{{cite web|url=https://uk.soccerway.com/matches/2020/11/17/world/hybrid-friendlies/england-youth/aston-villa-u20/3423501/|title=ENGLAND U20 VS. ASTON VILLA U20 1-3 |website=uk.soccerway.com|date=17 November 2020|accessdate=15 July 2021}}
Career statistics
{{Updated|match played on 3 May 2025}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition | ||||||||||
| rowspan="2"|Club
!rowspan="2"|Season !colspan="3"|League !colspan="2"|National cup{{efn|Includes FA Cup, Scottish Cup}} !colspan="2"|League cup !colspan="2"|Other !colspan="2"|Total | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| rowspan="3"|Everton U21
|2018–19{{soccerbase season|116941|2018|accessdate=18 March 2023}} |colspan="1"|— | colspan="2"|— | colspan="2"|— | colspan="2"|— | 1{{efn|name=EFLT|Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy}} | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||
| 2019–20{{soccerbase season|116941|2019|accessdate=18 March 2023}}
|colspan="1"|— | colspan="2"|— | colspan="2"|— | colspan="2"|— | 4{{efn|name=EFLT}} | 1 | 4 | 1 | |||
| colspan="2"|Total
!colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||5||1||5||1 | ||||||||||
| rowspan="4"|Everton
|2020–21{{soccerbase season|116941|2020|accessdate=18 March 2023}} |0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22{{soccerbase season|116941|2021|accessdate=18 March 2023}}
|Premier League |1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23{{soccerbase season|116941|2022|accessdate=18 March 2023}}
|Premier League |11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | colspan="2"|— | 11 | 1 | |||
| colspan="2"|Total
!12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 1 | |
| Blackpool (loan)
|21 | 8 | 1 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 2{{efn|Appearances in League One play-offs}} | 2 | 24 | 10 | ||
| Heart of Midlothian (loan)
|17 | 5 | 4 | 2 | colspan="2"|— | colspan="2"|— | 21 | 7 | |||
| Sunderland (loan)
|17 | 7 | colspan="2"|— | 0 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 17 | 7 | |||
| rowspan=3|Coventry City
|2023–24{{soccerbase season|116941|2023|accessdate=6 August 2023}} |Championship |46 | 13 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 53 | 19 | |
| 2024–25{{soccerbase season|116941|2024|accessdate=29 March 2025}}
|Championship |43 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 7 | |
| colspan="2"|Total
!89 | 19 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 99 | 26 | |
| colspan="3"|Career total
!156 | 40 | 12 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 178 | 52 |
{{notelist}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Coventry City F.C. squad}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simms, Ellis}}
Category:Footballers from Oldham
Category:English men's footballers
Category:Men's association football forwards
Category:Blackburn Rovers F.C. players
Category:Manchester City F.C. players
Category:Blackpool F.C. players
Category:Heart of Midlothian F.C. players
Category:Sunderland A.F.C. players
Category:English Football League players
Category:Premier League players
Category:Scottish Professional Football League players
Category:English people of Polish descent
Category:English people of Jamaican descent
Category:Sportspeople of Jamaican descent
Category:Coventry City F.C. players
Category:Black British sportsmen