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Alex Samuel
Welsh association football player From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Alexander Kinloch Samuel (born 20 September 1995) is a Welsh professional footballer who plays as a forward.
Samuel began his career in the youth academy at Aberystwyth Town, breaking into the first team during the 2011–12 season. He joined Swansea City's academy in the summer of 2012 and, during his time there, was loaned out to Greenock Morton and Newport County. He signed for Stevenage ahead of the 2017–18 season, spending one year at the club before joining Wycombe Wanderers of League One in August 2018.
Samuel spent three years at Wycombe, scoring 11 goals in 88 appearances and helping the club earn promotion to the Championship. He joined Ross County of the Scottish Premiership on a free transfer in August 2021. His time at the club was hampered by injuries, and he spent the second half of the 2023–24 season on loan at Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Samuel was released by Ross County in June 2025. He has also represented Wales at under-18 level.
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Club career
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Aberystwyth Town
Samuel started his career at Cymru Premier club Aberystwyth Town, progressing through the youth system at the club's academy.[3] While still in the academy, he briefly joined boyhood club Swansea City, but travelling difficulties led to a return to Aberystwyth.[3] He trained with the Aberystwyth first team in the opening months of the 2011–12 season while continuing to feature for the under-16 team.[3] Samuel made his senior debut two weeks after his 16th birthday,[4] coming on as a 77th-minute substitute in a 2–0 away defeat to Llanelli Town on 8 October 2011.[5] In his third appearance, he came off the substitutes' bench to score a late equaliser in Aberystwyth's 1–1 Welsh Cup draw with Llandudno in January 2012.[6] He made nine first-team appearances that season in all competitions, scoring once.[7]
Swansea City and loan spells
Following his first-team involvement at Aberystwyth, Samuel attracted transfer interest from several Premier League clubs, including Aston Villa, Manchester United, Newcastle United, and Swansea City.[3] He chose to join Swansea, where he had briefly spent time two years earlier, signing a two-year scholarship in the summer of 2012.[3] He spent the next two seasons in the Swansea's academy before signing his first professional contract on 30 May 2014.[8] Samuel played regularly for the Swansea City under-21 team during the 2014–15 season, helping them win the Professional Development League Two title.[9][10][11] At the end of the season, he signed a two-year contract extension to remain at the club until the summer of 2017.[10]
Samuel joined Greenock Morton of the Scottish Championship on loan on transfer deadline day in early September 2015,[12] a move he said he "knew straight away" he wanted to take.[12] He signed an initial four-month loan deal, running until January 2016.[12][13] Samuel made his Morton debut as a 78th-minute substitute for Romario Sabajo in a 4–2 away victory at Livingston on 5 September 2015.[14] He scored his first two goals for the club in a 3–2 extra-time Scottish League Cup victory over Motherwell at Cappielow in his fourth appearance for the club.[15][16] His first Scottish League goal came in the Renfrewshire derby, a close-range equaliser in a 1–1 draw away at St Mirren on 20 November 2015.[17][18] In January 2016, his loan was extended for the rest of the 2015–16 season.[19][20] A month later, he briefly returned to Swansea to receive treatment on a knee injury sustained in a Development League West match against Queen's Park.[21] The injury sidelined him for a month,[22] but he returned as a late substitute in a 3–2 victory against Queen of the South on 15 March 2016.[23] Samuel featured predominantly from the substitutes' bench for the remainder of the season,[15] finishing his time at Morton with 30 appearances and four goals in all competitions, as the club placed fifth in the Scottish Championship.[15]
Upon returning to Swansea, Samuel began the 2016–17 season playing regularly for the Swansea City under-23 team,[2] also making three appearances in the EFL Trophy,[24] scoring in a 2–1 group-stage win away to Newport County on 4 October 2016.[25] Having yet to make a senior appearance for Swansea, he joined League Two club Newport County on loan on 13 January 2017.[26][27] He made his Newport debut as a 29th-minute substitute in a 0–0 draw away at Barnet on 21 January 2017.[28] After coming on as a substitute in his first three games, Samuel started every subsequent match,[24] scoring his first goal in a 3–1 home defeat to Blackpool on 18 March 2017.[29] Samuel made 18 appearances and scored twice during the five-month loan,[24] as Newport secured their League Two status by winning five of their final seven games.[30] He was named the club's Player of the Year at the end of the season.[31]
Stevenage
Samuel signed for League Two club Stevenage on a two-year deal on 9 May 2017, joining on a free transfer.[32][33] He made his Stevenage debut on the opening day of the 2017–18 season, playing the first 57 minutes in a 3–3 draw against former club Newport County at Broadhall Way.[34] His first goal for Stevenage came in the club's 6–2 EFL Trophy defeat to Oxford United on 29 August 2017, when he capitalised on a defensive slip to score a late consolation.[35] Samuel made 28 appearances across the season, of which 16 were from the substitutes' bench, and scored four goals.[36] A "mystery ankle injury" restricted him to just five appearances during the second half of the 2017–18 season,[36][37][38] and he was released in May 2018.[39]
Wycombe Wanderers
After undergoing ankle surgery, Samuel turned down contract offers from Newport County and Yeovil Town.[38] He signed for newly promoted League One club Wycombe Wanderers on 23 August 2018, initially on a short-term contract until 20 January 2019.[40] Wycombe manager Gareth Ainsworth stated he had been impressed by his performance in a match between Wycombe and Stevenage in December 2017.[37] He made his debut on 28 August 2018, coming on as an 80th-minute substitute for Adebayo Akinfenwa in an EFL Cup against Forest Green Rovers, which Wycombe won on penalties.[41] He scored his first goal in a 2–1 victory against Fulham under-21s at Adams Park in the EFL Trophy on 18 September 2018.[42] Samuel signed a contract extension until June 2021 on 16 November 2018, with Ainsworth praising his work ethic and character.[43] He was a regular starter for Wycombe throughout the 2018–19 season, scoring six goals in 36 games as Wycombe finished 17th place in League One.[44] Samuel was named Wycombe's Young Player of the Year at the club's end-of-season awards.[37]
A month into the 2019–20 season, Samuel signed a one-year contract extension on 5 September 2019, with the new agreement running until June 2022.[37] He sustained an injury in a 1–0 defeat away to Gillingham later that month, which kept him out of the first team until November 2019.[45][46] He made 27 appearances over the course of the season, scoring four goals.[45] That total included three appearances and one goal in the League One play-offs.[45] Samuel started the final at Wembley Stadium, playing 62 minutes as Wycombe defeated Oxford United 2–1 to secure promotion on 13 July 2020.[45][47] He made 23 appearances in the Championship during the following season, scoring once, as Wycombe were relegated back to League One after finishing in 22nd place.[48][49]
Ross County
Samuel signed for Scottish Premiership club Ross County on a two-year contract on 31 August 2021, joining on a free transfer following his departure from Wycombe by mutual consent.[50] He debuted for Ross County in a 3–0 defeat to Celtic on 11 September 2021.[51] Later that season, he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury that sidelined him for a year.[52] Samuel returned to the first team on 21 January 2023, appearing as a substitute in extra time during a Scottish FA Cup penalty shoot-out defeat to Hamilton Academical.[53][54] He scored his first goal in a 2–0 victory against Livingston on 6 May 2023,[55] and made 13 appearances during the second half of that season, helping the club retain their Premiership status with a comeback win over Partick Thistle in the Premiership play-off final.[53][56] Samuel signed a new two-year contract on 27 June 2023, with the club highlighting his impact following his return from injury.[52]
Loan to Inverness Caledonian Thistle
Having made 14 appearances for Ross County during the first half of the 2023–24 season,[57] Samuel joined Highland rivals Inverness Caledonian Thistle on 19 January 2024, on a loan agreement until the end of the season.[58] He scored on his debut the following day in a 4–0 victory over Broomhill, and followed this up with a nine-minute hat-trick, the first of his senior career, in a 3–2 win away to Raith Rovers on 27 January 2024.[57][59] Samuel finished the loan spell with six goals in 19 appearances, as Inverness were relegated to Scottish League One after a play-off final defeat to Hamilton.[57][60]
Samuel returned to Ross County and featured regularly during the first half of the 2024–25 season.[61] He sustained a thigh injury in the club's 3–1 defeat to Hibernian on 14 December 2024,[62] which sidelined him until March 2025.[61] He made 29 appearances and scored twice during the season,[61] as Ross County were relegated to the Scottish Championship via the Premiership play-offs. Samuel left the club following the expiry of his contract in June 2025.[63]
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International career
Samuel represented Wales at under-18 level.[3] He made his debut in a 2–1 victory over the Republic of Ireland in February 2012, scoring the winning goal.[3]
Personal life
Samuel is a Christian.[64] He married in 2017; his wife, Rachael, is a singer.[33][65]
Career statistics
- As of match played 26 May 2025
- Includes Welsh Cup, FA Cup, Scottish Cup
- Includes Welsh League Cup, EFL Cup, Scottish League Cup
- Appearances in EFL Trophy
- Appearances in the 2020 English Football League play-offs
- Appearances in Scottish Premiership play-offs
- Appearances in Scottish Premiership play-offs
- Appearances in Scottish Championship play-offs
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Honours
Wycombe Wanderers
Individual
- Newport County Player of the Year: 2016–17[31]
References
External links
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