Imari Samuels
{{short description|English footballer (born 2003)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Imari Samuels
| image = Imari Samuels.png
| caption = Samuels in 2025
| full_name = Imari Narain Che Hines-Samuels{{cite web |url=https://fdp.fifa.org/assetspublic/ce89/pdf/SquadLists-English.pdf |title=Squad List: FIFA U-20 World Cup Argentina 2023: England (ENG) |publisher=FIFA |page=6 |date=22 May 2023 |access-date=19 November 2023}}
| birth_place = Hammersmith, England
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|2003|2|5|df=y}}
| height =
| position = Defender
| currentclub = Dundee
| clubnumber = 12
| youthyears1 = {{0|0000}}–2022
| youthclubs1 = Reading
| youthyears2 = 2022–2024
| youthclubs2 = Brighton & Hove Albion
| years1 = 2023–2025
| clubs1 = Brighton & Hove Albion
| caps1 = 0
| goals1 = 0
| years2 = 2024
| clubs2 = → Fleetwood Town (loan)
| caps2 = 4
| goals2 = 0
| clubs3 = Dundee
| years3 = 2025–
| caps3 = 3
| goals3 = 0
| nationalyears1 = 2019
| nationalteam1 = England U16
| nationalcaps1 = 2
| nationalgoals1 = 0
| nationalyears2 = 2019–2020
| nationalteam2 = England U17
| nationalcaps2 = 3
| nationalgoals2 = 0
| nationalyears3 = 2023
| nationalteam3 = England U20
| nationalcaps3 = 2
| nationalgoals3 = 0
| club-update = 17:30, 26 April 2025 (UTC)
| nationalteam-update = 21:36, 12 June 2023 (UTC)
}}
Imari Narain Che Hines-Samuels (born 5 February 2003) is an English footballer who plays for {{Scottish football updater|Dundee}} club Dundee as a left-back.{{cite web |url=https://uk.soccerway.com/players/imari-narain-samuels/536028/ |title=Imari Samuels |publisher=Soccerway |access-date=18 May 2023}}
Club career
=Reading=
A youth product of Reading, he signed scholarship terms with the club as a sixteen-year-old in 2019.{{Cite web |url=https://www.readingfc.co.uk/players/u23/imari-samuels |website=ReadingFC |title=Imari Samuels |accessdate=18 May 2023}} He began training with the first team for the first time in August 2020.{{Cite web |url=https://www.getreading.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/striker-missing-teenager-steps-up-18788966 |website=Getreading.co.uk |first=Jonathan |last=Low |accessdate=18 May 2023 |date=19 August 2020 |title=Striker missing, teenager steps up and golden boots - seven things we spotted as Reading FC return for pre-season}} This came after he signed a one-and-a-half-year contract with Reading in January 2020, keeping him with the club until the summer of 2022.{{Cite web |url=https://www.getreading.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/who-imari-samuels-lowdown-teenage-18792686 |website=getreading.co.uk |accessdate=18 May 2023 |first1=Kristian |last1=Heneage |first2=Jonathan |last2=Low |title=Who is Imari Samuels? The lowdown on the teenage Reading FC defender training with the first team|date=20 August 2020 }} Samuels picked up an injury that required surgery in 2021.{{Cite web |first=Jonathan |last=Low |url=https://www.getreading.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/reading-premier-league-transfer-brighton-24686291?int_source=amp_continue_reading&int_medium=amp&int_campaign=continue_reading_button#amp-readmore-target |date=5 August 2022 |website=Getreading.com |accessdate=18 May 2023 |title=Reading FC youngster breaks silence after sealing Premier League transfer to Brighton}}
=Brighton=
In August 2022, Samuels turned down Reading's offer of a new contract in order to join the academy of Premier League team Brighton & Hove Albion on a two-year deal, with Reading receiving compensation from Brighton for his services.{{Cite web |url=https://www.theargus.co.uk/sport/20602955.amp/ |date=5 August 2022 |first=Brian |last=Owen |website=The Argus |title=Brighton sign Imari Samuels from Reading |accessdate=18 May 2023}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.getreading.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/reading-transfer-exit-premier-league-24677671 |website=getreading.co.uk |accessdate=18 May 2023 |title=Reading FC transfer exit confirmed as Imari Samuels makes Premier League move after Paul Ince verdict |first=Robert |last=Warlow |date=5 August 2022}}
On 18 May 2023 Samuels was included in a Premier League match day line-up for the first time, being named as substitute for Brighton away at Newcastle United.{{Cite web |url=https://uk.soccerway.com/matches/2023/05/18/england/premier-league/newcastle-united-football-club/brighton--hove-albion-fc/3800225/ |website=Soccerway |date=18 May 2023 |accessdate=18 May 2023 |title=NEWCASTLE VS. BRIGHTON}} He made his Brighton debut in the 4-0 win over Crawley Town in the EFL Cup in August 2024.{{cite web|date=14 January 2025|title= 'I'm ready to go' – Transfer decision made as Brighton ace makes permanent January exit|first=Derren |last=Howard|url= https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/sport/football/brighton-and-hove-albion/im-ready-to-go-transfer-decision-made-as-brighton-ace-makes-permanent-january-exit-4942406|website=Sussex Express|accessdate=16 January 2025}}
= Dundee =
On 13 January 2025, Samuels joined Scottish Premiership club Dundee on a two-and-a-half year deal for an undisclosed fee.{{Cite web |date=2025-01-13 |title=Samuels is a Dee |url=https://dundeefc.co.uk/news/samuels-dee/ |access-date=2025-01-13 |website=Dundee Football Club - Official Website |language=en-US}} On 20 January, Samuels made his debut for the Dark Blues as a substitute against rivals Dundee United in the Scottish Cup, and helped Dundee win their first Dundee derby since 2017.{{Cite web |title=Dundee end wait for derby win to knock Dundee United out of Cup |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/live/cjdenj593znt |access-date=2025-01-22 |website=BBC Sport |language=en-GB}}
International career
Samuels has been selected at youth level by England at U15, U16 and U17 level.{{Cite web |first=Frankie |last=Elliott |url=https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/sport/football/brighton-and-hove-albion/brighton-youngsters-picked-for-england-under-20-world-cup-squad-in-argentina-4138378 |website=Sussex Express |title=Brighton youngsters picked for England under-20 World Cup squad in Argentina |date=11 May 2023 |accessdate=18 May 2023}} In May 2023 he was selected as part of the England squad for the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup.{{Cite web |title=Former Reading FC youngster off to the World Cup after England call-up |date=11 May 2023 |accessdate=18 May 2023 |website=Reading Chronicle |url=https://www.readingchronicle.co.uk/sport/23514732.former-reading-fc-youngster-off-world-cup-england-call-up/ |first=James |last=Earnshaw}}{{Cite web |first=Nizar |last=Kinsella |website=Evening Standard |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/england-u20-world-cup-chelsea-arsenal-tottenham-chukwuemeka-b1080278.html |title=England Under-20 World Cup squad: Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal stars called up |date=11 May 2023 |accessdate=18 May 2023}} His two appearances during the tournament both came in the group stage as a substitute against Uruguay and starting in a goalless draw against Iraq.{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.co.uk/football/match/_/gameId/668572 |title=Iraq 0-0 England |publisher=ESPN |access-date=12 June 2023}}
Career statistics
{{updated|match played 26 April 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 !colspan=2|League Cup !colspan=2|Other !colspan=2|Total | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| rowspan=4|Brighton & Hove Albion U23
|2022–23{{soccerbase season|133085|2022|access-date=12 June 2023}} |colspan=3|— | colspan=2|— | colspan=2|— | 1{{efn|name=EFLT|Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy}} | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| 2023–24{{soccerbase season|133085|2023|access-date=12 June 2023}}
|colspan=3|— | colspan=2|— | colspan=2|— | 4{{efn|name=EFLT}} | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||||
| 2024–25{{soccerbase season|133085|2024|access-date=27 August 2024}}
|colspan=3|— | colspan=2|— | colspan=2|— | 2{{efn|name=EFLT}} | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||||
| colspan=2|Total
!colspan=2|—||colspan=2|—||colspan=2|—||7||0||7||0 | ||||||||||
| Fleetwood Town (loan)
|4 | 0 | colspan=2|— | colspan=2|— | colspan="2" |— | 4 | 0 | ||||
| Brighton & Hove Albion
|0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | colspan="2" |— | 1 | 0 | ||
| Dundee
|3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | colspan="2" |— | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||
| colspan=3|Career total
!7||0||2||0||1||0||7||0||17||0 |
{{notelist}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Premier League player|48290}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Dundee F.C. squad}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Samuels, Imari}}
Category:English men's footballers
Category:Men's association football defenders
Category:England men's youth international footballers
Category:Place of birth missing (living people)
Category:Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. players
Category:Fleetwood Town F.C. players
Category:English Football League players