Ellis Simms

Ellis Reco Simms (born 5 January 2001) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Coventry City.

Club career


Simms was born in Oldham, Greater Manchester. 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. He turned professional in 2019.

In January 2021, Simms moved on loan to Blackpool, making his debut on 23 January 2021 in the FA Cup as a substitute against Brighton & Hove Albion in a 2–1 loss. 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.

On 26 January 2022, Simms joined Scottish Premiership side Heart of Midlothian on loan for the remainder of the 2021–22 season. 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. He scored his first goal for Hearts three days later in a 2–0 home win against Motherwell.

On 29 July 2022, Simms signed for EFL Championship club Sunderland on loan for the duration of the 2022–23 season. He was recalled on 31 December 2022. He scored his first goal for Everton on 18 March 2023, scoring a late equaliser in a 2–2 draw away at Chelsea.

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.

In July 2023 he was linked with a transfer to Coventry City, and signed for the club later that month on a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee.

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. 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.

International career
Simms is eligible to play internationally for England, Poland and Jamaica. On 6 November 2020, he was called up to the England U20 squad for a training camp. The following week, he played for England U20s as a second-half substitute in an unofficial friendly match against Aston Villa.