George Byers (footballer)

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George Byers
Personal information
Full name George William Byers[1]
Date of birth (1996-05-29) 29 May 1996 (age 27)[2]
Place of birth Ilford, England
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[2]
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
Sheffield Wednesday
Number 8
Youth career
2003–2014 Watford
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2016 Watford 1 (0)
2016–2021 Swansea City 56 (4)
2021Portsmouth (loan) 14 (0)
2021– Sheffield Wednesday 68 (13)
2024Blackpool (loan) 16 (0)
International career
Scotland U16
2012 Scotland U17 3 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 14:20, 27 April 2024 (UTC)

George William Byers (born 29 May 1996) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Sheffield Wednesday.

Club career[edit]

Watford[edit]

Byers is a youth product of the Watford academy, joining the club aged 7.[3] He was included in the 2013–14 pre-season camp in Italy.[3] On 12 May 2014, Byers signed a professional deal with Watford.[3]

On 17 January 2015, Byers made his senior debut as a substitute in a match against Charlton Athletic.[4]

On 3 June 2016, it was announced that Byers would leave Watford upon the expiration of his contract.[5]

Swansea City[edit]

On 11 July 2016, preceding Byers' release from Watford, he joined Premier League rivals Swansea City.[6] He made his debut for Swansea on 28 August 2018 in a 1–0 defeat to Crystal Palace in the EFL Cup.[7]

On 23 January 2021, Byers joined League One side Portsmouth on loan for the remainder of the 2020–21 season.[8]

Sheffield Wednesday[edit]

On 3 August 2021, Byers joined League One side Sheffield Wednesday on a two-year deal, with Swansea City including a sell-on clause.[9][10] He made his Wednesday debut coming off the bench against Doncaster Rovers on 14 August 2021.[11] He would score his first goal for the club in the EFL Trophy against Harrogate Town on 9 November 2021.[12] Byers made his first league appearance since November against Morecambe at the start of February 2022, and would be ever-present for the whole month, picking up the club’s player of the month award and scoring three times.[13] Following promotion back to the EFL Championship on option was taken in Byers contract for him to stay at the club.[14]

On 1 February 2024, Byers joined League One side Blackpool on loan for the remainder of the 2023–24 season.[15][16]

International career[edit]

Byers has represented Scotland at both under-16 and under-17 level.

Career statistics[edit]

As of match played 27 April 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Watford 2014–15[17] Championship 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
2015–16[18] Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Swansea City U23 2016–17[19] 6[a] 0 6 0
2017–18[20] 4[a] 0 4 0
2018–19[20] 1[a] 0 1 0
Total 11 0 11 0
Swansea City 2016–17[19] Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2017–18[20] Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2018–19[21] Championship 21 2 3 1 1 0 25 3
2019–20[22] Championship 35 2 1 1 3 2 39 5
2020–21[23] Championship 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0
Total 56 4 5 2 4 2 65 8
Portsmouth (loan) 2020–21[23] League One 14 0 0 0 0 0 1[a] 0 15 0
Sheffield Wednesday 2021–22[24] League One 22 6 0 0 0 0 5[b] 1 27 7
2022–23[25] League One 24 6 3 0 2 0 0 0 29 6
2023–24[26] Championship 22 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 22 1
Total 68 13 3 0 2 0 5 1 78 14
Blackpool (loan) 2023–24[26] League One 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 16 0
Career total 153 17 8 2 6 2 17 1 184 22


  1. ^ a b c d Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
  2. ^ Appearance(s) in League One Play-offs & Football League Trophy

Honours[edit]

Swansea City U23

Portsmouth

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Notification of shirt numbers: Swansea City" (PDF). English Football League. p. 69. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  2. ^ a b "George Byers". 11v11. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  3. ^ a b c "OFFICIAL: Watford Pro Deal For Byers". Watford F.C. 12 May 2014. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  4. ^ "Watford 5–0 Charlton". BBC Sport. 16 March 2015. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  5. ^ "OFFICIAL: Hornets Confirm Retained & Released Players". Watford F.C. 3 June 2016. Archived from the original on 15 September 2016. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  6. ^ "Byers joins Swans Development squad". Swansea City A.F.C. 11 July 2016. Archived from the original on 14 August 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  7. ^ Marsh, Philip (28 August 2018). "Swansea City 0–1 Crystal Palace". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  8. ^ "Blues swoop for Byers". Portsmouth FC. 23 January 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  9. ^ "Wednesday sign George Byers". Sheffield Wednesday F.C. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  10. ^ "Swansea City's George Byers Completes Sheffield Wednesday Move". Swansea City A.F.C. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  11. ^ "Report: Wednesday 2-0 Doncaster". Sheffield Wednesday F.C. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  12. ^ "George Byers on form, injections and a 'frustrating' start to life at Sheffield Wednesday". The Star. Sheffield Star. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  13. ^ "George Byers is your swfc.co.uk Player of the Month". Sheffield Wednesday FC. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  14. ^ "Owls retained list confirmed". Sheffield Wednesday FC. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  15. ^ "George Byers joins Blackpool on loan". Sheffield Wednesday FC. 1 February 2024. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  16. ^ "Blackpool sign midfielder on loan from Sheffield Wednesday until end of season". BBC. 1 February 2024. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  17. ^ "Games played by George Byers in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
  18. ^ "Games played by George Byers in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
  19. ^ a b "Games played by George Byers in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
  20. ^ a b c "Games played by George Byers in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
  21. ^ "Games played by George Byers in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
  22. ^ "Games played by George Byers in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  23. ^ a b "Games played by George Byers in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  24. ^ "Games played by George Byers in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  25. ^ "Games played by George Byers in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  26. ^ a b "Games played by George Byers in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  27. ^ "It's a perfect end to the season, says King". www.premierleague.com. 16 May 2017. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  28. ^ Williams, Adam (13 March 2021). "Portsmouth 0–0 Salford City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 March 2021.

External links[edit]