George Edmundson (footballer)

{{Infobox football biography

| name = George Edmundson

| image = George Edmundson 2.jpg

| image_size =

| caption = George Edmundson playing for Ipswich Town in July 2022

| fullname = Samuel George Alan Edmundson{{cite news |title=The Football League Limited: Club list of registered 16th May 2015 |url=http://www.football-league.co.uk/documents/pages-from-fl-professional-retain-list-free-transfers-2014-15-2.pdf-...549-2491536.pdf |publisher=The Football League |page=53 |date=16 May 2015 |access-date=1 December 2015 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304053003/http://www.football-league.co.uk/documents/pages-from-fl-professional-retain-list-free-transfers-2014-15-2.pdf-...549-2491536.pdf |url-status=dead }}

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1997|8|15|df=y}}{{cite web |title=George Edmundson|url=http://www.11v11.com/players/george-edmundson-249877/|publisher=11v11 |access-date=1 December 2015}}

| birth_place = Manchester, England

| height = 1.90 m

| position = Centre-back

| currentclub = Middlesbrough

| clubnumber = 25

| youthyears1 = 2013–2015

| youthclubs1 = Oldham Athletic

| years1 = 2015–2019

| clubs1 = Oldham Athletic

| caps1 = 65

| goals1 = 3

| years2 = 2015

| clubs2 = → Ramsbottom United (loan)

| caps2 = 2

| goals2 = 0

| years3 = 2016

| clubs3 = → Alfreton Town (loan)

| caps3 = 8

| goals3 = 2

| years4 = 2017–2018

| clubs4 = → AFC Fylde (loan)

| caps4 = 10

| goals4 = 0

| years5 = 2019–2021

| clubs5 = Rangers

| caps5 = 8

| goals5 = 1

| years6 = 2021

| clubs6 = → Derby County (loan)

| caps6 = 10

| goals6 = 1

| years7 = 2021–2025

| clubs7 = Ipswich Town

| caps7 = 61

| goals7 = 4

| years8 = 2024–2025

| clubs8 = → Middlesbrough (loan)

| caps8 = 20

| goals8 = 1

| years9 = 2025–

| clubs9 = Middlesbrough

| caps9 = 3

| goals9 = 0

| club-update = 23 February 2025 (UTC)

}}

Samuel George Alan Edmundson (born 15 August 1997) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for EFL Championship club Middlesbrough.

Born in Manchester, Edmundson began his career at Oldham Athletic, joining the club's academy in 2013 and going on to make his senior debut in 2015. He spent six years at Oldham, spending time out on loan at Ramsbottom United, Alfreton Town and AFC Fylde during his time at the club. In June 2019, He joined Scottish club Rangers from Oldham. He spent two seasons at Rangers, including spending time out on loan at Derby County in 2021. He signed for Ipswich Town in July 2021 and is spending time out on loan to Middlesbrough.

Career

=Oldham Athletic=

Edmundson signed for Oldham Athletic on a two-year scholarship on 14 July 2013 at the age of 15.{{cite news|title=George joins Latics|url=http://www.oldhamathletic.co.uk/news/article/20130714-george-913506.aspx|access-date=2 September 2015|publisher=Oldham Athletic A.F.C.|date=14 July 2013}} He signed a one-year professional contract on 13 May 2015.{{cite news|title=Edmundson Signs First Professional Contract|url=http://www.oldhamathletic.co.uk/news/article/edmundson-signs-first-professional-contract-2454497.aspx|access-date=2 September 2015|publisher=Oldham Athletic A.F.C.|date=13 May 2015}} He was first included in a senior matchday squad on 22 August 2015, remaining an unused substitute in a 1–1 League One draw against Shrewsbury Town at Boundary Park.{{cite news|title=Oldham 1–1 Shrewsbury|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/33944496|access-date=2 September 2015|publisher=BBC Sport|date=22 August 2015}} Nine days later, away to the same opposition, he made his senior debut in the first round of the Football League Trophy, playing the full 90 minutes of a 0–2 defeat at the New Meadow.{{cite news|title=Shrewsbury 2–0 Oldham|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/34047946|access-date=2 September 2015|publisher=BBC Sport|date=1 September 2015}} He made 3 appearances for Oldham during his first season in senior football, whilst also spending time on loan at Northern Premier League side Ramsbottom United.

He made his first appearance of the 2016–17 season on 30 August, starting in a 4–5 home defeat against Carlisle United in an EFL Trophy group stage match. Edmundson made 5 appearances for Oldham during the season, while also spending time out on loan at Alfreton Town.

On 13 October 2017, Edmundson joined National League side AFC Fylde on a one-month loan deal along with teammate Jamie Stott.{{cite news|title=Defensive Duo Depart On Loan|url=https://www.oldhamathletic.co.uk/news/2017/october/12102017-george-edmundson-jamie-stott-loan-afc-fylde/|access-date=27 October 2017|publisher=Oldham Athletic Official Site|date=13 October 2017}} After impressing in his loan spell at AFC Fylde, Edmundson returned to Oldham Athletic in January 2018, working his way into the first-team upon his return. He scored his first goal for Oldham on the final day of the 2017–18 season, netting in a 2–2 draw with Northampton Town.{{cite web| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/43931507|title=Northampton Town 2–2 Oldham Athletic |date=5 May 2018| publisher=BBC Sport|access-date=20 October 2021 }} He made 17 appearances for Oldham during the season, scoring once.

He started the opening match of the 2018–19 season against Milton Keynes Dons. On 16 August 2018, Edmundson signed a two-year contract extension with Oldham until the summer of 2020.{{cite news|title=Contract Extension: Edmundson Signs New Deal|url=https://www.oldhamathletic.co.uk/news/2018/august/16082018-edmundson-signs-new-deal/|access-date=16 August 2018|publisher=Oldham Athletic Official Site|date=21 October 2021}} He scored his first goal of the season in a 3–1 away win against Cambridge United on 17 November. During the 2018–19 season, Edmundson formed an impressive partnership with veteran defender Peter Clarke, being named in the EFL League Two Team of the Season, while also winning Oldham's Players' Player of the Season award.{{Cite web|url=https://www.efl.com/news/2019/march/efl-awards-2019-shortlists-revealed/|title=EFL Awards 2019: Shortlists revealed|website=www.efl.com|language=en-gb|access-date=22 July 2019}}{{Cite web|url= https://www.oldhamathletic.co.uk/news/2019/may/06052019-1819-awards-recap/|title= 2018/19 Awards Dinner Winners|publisher=Oldham Athletic A.F.C.|access-date=21 October 2021}} In total, he made 54 appearances in all competitions over the course of the season, scoring twice.

=Rangers=

Edmundson signed for Scottish club Rangers on 21 June 2019, for an undisclosed transfer fee, where he claimed the number 4 shirt he wore at Oldham.{{cite news|title=Rangers Sign Edmundson|url=https://rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/rangers-sign-edmundson/|access-date=21 June 2019|publisher=Rangers FC Official Site|date=21 June 2019}} He made his Rangers and European competition debut on 18 July, starting against St. Joseph's of Gibraltar, in a 6–0 Rangers victory in the second leg of the Europa League first qualifying round. He scored his first goal for the club in a 2–1 home win against Hibernian at Ibrox on 5 February 2020.{{Cite web|url=https://rangers.co.uk/news/match-report/rangers-6-0-st-josephs-10-0-agg/|title=Rangers 6–0 St Joseph's (10–0 Agg)|date=18 July 2019|website=Rangers Football Club, Official Website|access-date=22 July 2019}} During his first season at Ibrox, Edmundson earned the nickname 'The Fridge' from his team-mates and the Rangers supporters.{{cite web| url=https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/george-edmundsons-six-month-rangers-21585935|title=George Edmundson's six-month Rangers turnaround from deleted request to Europa League 'Fridge' heroics |date=27 February 2020| publisher=Daily Record|access-date=21 October 2021 }} On 12 March 2020, he scored in a Europa League round of 16 first leg tie against Bayer Leverkusen, a match in which Rangers eventually lost 1–3.{{cite web| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/51726183|title=Rangers 1–3 Bayer Leverkusen |date=12 March 2020| publisher=BBC Sport|access-date=20 October 2021 }} Edmundson made 16 appearances in all competitions during his first season at Rangers, scoring twice.

He made his first appearance of the 2020–21 season on 17 September in a UEFA Europa League second qualifying round tie against Lincoln Red Imps in which Rangers won 5–0. His first league appearance of the season came on 27 September, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 5–1 away win against Motherwell. On 2 November 2020 it was announced that Edmundson and Jordan Jones had been suspended by Rangers, pending an internal investigation, for attending a party and breaking coronavirus regulations.{{cite news |last1=Campbell |first1=Jordan |title=Rangers suspend Jordan Jones and George Edmundson after duo attended house party |url=https://theathletic.com/news/Rangers-coronavirus-Jones-Edmundson-latest/Nybcf7xLNTCD |access-date=2 November 2020 |work=The Athletic |date=2 November 2020}} He did not feature for Rangers for the remainder of the season, making only two appearances for the club as Rangers won the Scottish Premiership title.

==Derby County (loan)==

On 1 February 2021, Edmundson joined Derby County on loan until the end of the 2020–21 season.{{cite web |title=RANGERS DEFENDER EDMUNDSON JOINS DERBY ON LOAN |url=https://www.dcfc.co.uk/news/2021/02/rangers-defender-edmundson-joins-derby-on-loan |website=Derby County F.C. |accessdate=1 February 2021 |date=1 February 2021}} He made his debut for Derby on 16 February in a 2–1 away win against Wycombe Wanderers. He scored his first goal for Derby in a 2–0 win against Huddersfield Town on 23 February 2021.{{cite web| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/56079458|title=Derby 2–0 Huddersfield |date=23 February 2021| publisher=BBC Sport|access-date=24 February 2021 }} Edmundson made 10 appearances for Derby during his loan spell, helping the club to stay in the Championship on the final day of the season, following a 3–3 draw against Sheffield Wednesday.{{cite web| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/56953366|title=Sheffield Wednesday 3–3 Derby |date=8 May 2021| publisher=BBC Sport|access-date=20 October 2021 }}

=Ipswich Town=

Edmundson signed for Ipswich Town on 27 July 2021, on a four-year deal, for an undisclosed fee.{{cite web |url = https://www.itfc.co.uk/news/2021/july/town-complete-george-edmundson-signing/ | title = Town sign George Edmundson | publisher = Ipswich Town F.C. | access-date = 27 July 2021 | date = 27 July 2021}} He made his debut for Ipswich on 11 September in a 2–5 home defeat against Bolton Wanderers at Portman Road.{{cite web| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/58444671|title=Ipswich Town 2–5 Bolton Wanderers|date=11 September 2021| publisher=BBC Sport|access-date=20 October 2021 }} He scored his first goal for the club two games later, netting the final goal in a 6–0 home win against Doncaster Rovers at Portman Road.{{cite web| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/58633772|title=Ipswich Town 6–0 Doncaster Rovers |date=28 September 2021| publisher=BBC Sport|access-date=20 October 2021 }} Edmundson quickly established himself as a key player in the Ipswich defence. On 25 January, he captained Ipswich for the first time in a 2–0 away win against AFC Wimbledon, as club captain Sam Morsy was suspended.{{cite web |url = https://www.itfc.co.uk/news/2022/january/afc-wimbledon-vs-ipswich-team-news/ | title = Team News - AFC Wimbledon vs Town | publisher = Ipswich Town F.C. | access-date = 27 January 2022 | date = 25 January 2022}} He continued to captain the team for the following three matches before handing the armband back over to Morsy following his return from suspension.{{cite web| url=https://www.eadt.co.uk/sport/ipswich-town/edmundson-on-itfc-captain-role-8683538|title='It's helped bring me out of my shell' - Edmundson on stand-in skipper role ahead of Morsy return|date=11 February 2022|publisher=East Anglian Daily Times|access-date=27 February 2022}} Edmundson suffered an ankle injury in a 2–0 win against Lincoln City on 8 March, ruling him out of action for the "foreseeable" future.{{cite web| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/60713043|title=George Edmundson: Ipswich defender out for 'foreseeable' future after suffering ankle injury|date=11 March 2022|publisher=BBC Sport|access-date=16 March 2022}}

= Middlesbrough =

On 30 August 2024, Edmundson signed for Championship club Middlesbrough for the season.{{Cite web |date=2024-08-30 |title=Middlesbrough sign sign Ben Doak and George Edmundson on loan |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cy4lwjwmjlvo |access-date=2025-01-25 |website=BBC Sport |language=en-GB}} Ipswich recalled Edmundson from the loan on 21 January 2025 after Middlesbrough had two bids rejected to sign him permanently,{{Cite web |last=Johns |first=Craig |date=2025-01-21 |title=George Edmundson recalled from Boro loan by Ipswich after rejected transfer bids |url=https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/george-edmundson-recalled-middlesbrough-loan-30833579 |access-date=2025-01-25 |website=Teesside Live |language=en}} but did, in fact, join the club on a permanent transfer four days later for a undisclosed fee.{{Cite web |date=2025-01-25 |title=George Edmundson: Ipswich defender joins Middlesbrough on permanent deal |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c8630qj79pdo |access-date=2025-01-25 |website=BBC Sport |language=en-GB}}

Career statistics

rowspan="2"\|Club !rowspan="2"\|Season !colspan="3"\|League !colspan="2"\|National CupIncludes FA Cup and Scottish Cup !colspan="2"\|League CupIncludes EFL Cup and Scottish League Cup !colspan="2"\|Other !colspan="2"\|Total
class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" \|+Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
rowspan="5"\|Oldham Athletic \|2015–16{{Soccerbase season \|86915\|2015\|access-date=4 July 2015}} \|League One \|2	0	0	0	0	0	1Appearance in Football League Trophy	0	3	0
2016–17{{Soccerbase season \|86915\|2016\|access-date=22 September 2017 }} \|League One \|3	0	0	0	0	0	2Appearances in EFL Trophy	0	5	0
2017–18{{Soccerbase season \|86915\|2017\|access-date=22 September 2017 }} \|League One \|15	1	0	0	0	0	2	0	17	1
2018–19{{Soccerbase season \|86915\|2018\|access-date=22 September 2017 }} \|League Two \|45	2	4	0	1	0	4	0	54	2
colspan="2"\|Total !65	3	4	0	1	0	9	0	79	3
Ramsbottom United (loan) \|2015–16 \|Northern Premier League \|2	0	0	0	colspan="2"\|—	0	0	2	0
Alfreton Town (loan) \|2016–17 \|National League North \|8	2	0	0	colspan="2"\|—	0	0	8	2
AFC Fylde (loan) \|2017–18 \|National League \|10	0	3	0	colspan="2"\|—	1Appearance in FA Trophy	0	14	0
rowspan="3"\|Rangers \|2019–20{{soccerbase season\|86915\|2019\|access-date=5 August 2019}} \|Scottish Premiership \|7	1	3	0	1	0	4Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League	1	15	2
2020–21{{soccerbase season\|86915\|2020\|access-date=5 August 2019}} \|Scottish Premiership \|1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	2	0
colspan="2"\|Total !8	1	3	0	1	0	5	1	17	2
Derby County (loan) \|2020–21 \|Championship \|10	1	0	0	0	0	colspan="2"\|—	10	1
rowspan="5"\|Ipswich Town \|2021–22{{soccerbase season\|86915\|2021\|accessdate=2 August 2021}} \|League One \|32	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	34	2
2022–23{{soccerbase season\|86915\|2022\|accessdate=7 August 2022}} \|League One \|18	2	3	0	0	0	4	1	25	3
2023–24{{soccerbase season\|86915\|2023\|accessdate=11 August 2023}} \|Championship \|10	0	2	0	3	0	colspan="2"\|—	15	0
2024–25{{soccerbase season\|86915\|2024\|accessdate=9 October 2024}} \|Premier League \|1	0	0	0	0	0	colspan="2"\|—	1	0
colspan="2"\|Total !61	4	7	0	3	0	4	1	75	5
Middlesbrough (loan) \|2024–25 \|Championship \|5	1	0	0	0	0	colspan="2"\|—	5	1
colspan="3"\|Career total !169	12	17	0	5	0	19	2	210	14

Honours

Ipswich Town

EFL League One runner-up: 2022–23{{cite web|title=Fleetwood Town 2 - 2 Ipswich Town|url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/65439606|publisher=BBC Sport|date=7 May 2023|accessdate=9 May 2023}}
EFL Championship runner-up: 2023–24{{cite web | url=https://www.itfc.co.uk/news/2024/may/04/ipswich-town-promoted-to-premier-league/ | title=We Are Premier League! | date=4 May 2024 }}

Individual