Jack Stephens (footballer)

Jack Stephens (born 27 January 1994) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender who captains club Southampton.

Born in Torpoint, Stephens began his career as a youth player with Plymouth Argyle, remaining with the club as a professional until 2011. Although starting his career as a right back, Stephens has been converted into a centre back. He can also operate as a left back, or in a defensive midfielder role, and has played internationally for the England under-18, under-19 and under-20 sides.

Plymouth Argyle
Born in Torpoint, Cornwall, Stephens attended Torpoint Community College, and joined Plymouth Argyle in 2005 at the age of 11. He progressed to the club's youth team in 2009 after a number of impressive performances in the junior section of the Milk Cup. He was then promoted to the club's reserve team, having appeared regularly in the Youth Alliance. Stephens began training with the club's first team in September 2010 and was included in an 18-man squad for their league match against Sheffield Wednesday. He made his debut as a late substitute in a 3–2 win for Argyle. Primarily a right back, Stephens can play in a variety of positions. "Jack is a right-back but he can play in the centre as well. He's comfortable in both positions," said John James, the club's youth development officer. "I like him at right-back because he does get forward well, he's quick, he likes to take people on and he's a good header of the ball. He's a big lad – 6ft 1in I think – and he's still growing."

2011–2014
He joined Southampton on 5 April 2011 for a fee of £150,000, signing an initial three-year contract, and was placed in the club's development squad. Stephens made his first-team debut for Southampton in a 2–1 FA Cup win against Coventry City on 7 January 2012, coming on as a second-half substitute for Dan Harding. In 2012, he was promoted to the first team ahead of the club's return to the Premier League.

2014–2016: Loan moves
On 13 March 2014, Stephens joined League One side Swindon Town on loan until 3 May. He was re-signed on 1 September 2014 on loan until January 2015, and this deal was extended until the end of the season. He scored his first career goal on 17 January 2015, heading Harry Toffolo's cross to open a 3–1 win over Chesterfield at the County Ground.

On 31 July 2015, Stephens signed a two-year contract extension, taking his deal to the summer of 2019, and subsequently completed a season-long move to Championship side Middlesbrough. However, in January 2016, he was recalled by manager Ronald Koeman who was not happy that Stephens had only been played in one league match for Middlesbrough. On 1 February, Stephens joined League One side Coventry City on loan for the remainder of the season.

2016–2022
Stephens made his Premier League debut on 2 January 2017, coming on as a first half substitute replacing the injured Cédric Soares, in a 3–0 defeat at Everton. On 26 February 2017, Stephens featured in a 3–2 defeat against Manchester United in the EFL Cup final.

He scored his first goal for Southampton on 27 January 2018, in the 1–0 victory over Watford in the FA Cup, which was followed by his first Premier League goal four days later, when he equalised in a 1–1 draw with south coast rivals, Brighton & Hove Albion. His third goal in as many matches came in a 3–2 victory over fellow strugglers West Bromwich Albion on 3 February. On 8 April 2018, Stephens was given a red card for shoving Jack Wilshere during a 3–2 defeat to Arsenal.

During the 2018–19 season, he scored in a 1–2 defeat to Cardiff City on 9 February 2019. Stephens ended the 2018–19 season with 29 appearances in all competitions.

On 29 October 2019, Stephens scored his first goal of the 2019–20 season in a 3–1 defeat to Manchester City in the EFL Cup. His only Premier League goal of the season came on 21 December 2019 in a 1–3 victory against Aston Villa. On 25 June 2020, Stephens received a red card during a 0–2 defeat to Arsenal for a foul on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

During the 2021–22 season, Stephens had played every minute in all competitions for Southampton until suffering a knee injury on 18 September 2021 in a 0–0 draw against Manchester City. Manager Ralph Hasenhüttl later confirmed he could be sidelined for 12 weeks. Stephens returned from injury on 11 December 2021, appearing in a 3–0 defeat to Arsenal.



2022–2023: Loan to AFC Bournemouth
Before his loan move to Bournemouth, Stephens made two appearances for Southampton in a 4–1 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur and a 2–2 draw against Leeds United. On 1 September 2022, Stephens completed a deadline day move and joined Bournemouth on a season-long loan. On 17 September 2022, he made his first appearance for Bournemouth in a 1–1 draw against Newcastle, replacing Philip Billing in the 89th minute. His first league start for Bournemouth came on 12 November 2022 in a 3–0 victory against Everton.

2023–present
On 4 August 2023, Stephens signed a two-year contract extension with Southampton. On 11 August 2023, it was announced Stephens would become the club's new captain due to the potential departure of James Ward-Prowse, who left the club three days later. During a 2–1 victory against Queens Park Rangers on 26 August 2023, Stephens was forced off in the first half after suffering an injury to his left leg, with manager Russell Martin stating the club may need to "fear the worst". However, a few days later, Martin revealed the injury was "not as bad" as initially feared. On 16 December 2023, he made his first appearance since returning from injury in a 4–0 victory against Blackburn Rovers after replacing Taylor Harwood-Bellis in the 66th minute. Following Southampton's promotion to the Premier League, a one-year contract extension was triggered.

International career


Stephens received his first call-up for the England under-18 side for a match against Poland in March 2012, playing the first half of the 3–0 win at Crewe Alexandra home ground Alexandra Stadium. Later in the year he made the step up to the under-19 team, making his debut on 26 September in a 3–0 win over Estonia in the qualifying stages of the 2013 European Championships, playing the full 90 minutes. He later played 45 minutes of the 6–0 win over the Faroe Islands on 28 September (after which he was replaced by fellow Southampton player Calum Chambers, who scored the sixth goal), the full 90 minutes of the 1–1 draw with Ukraine on 1 October, and the first half of the 13 November 1–0 friendly win over Finland which also featured Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse. Stephens made his debut for the England under-21 side on 12 November 2015 in a 0–0 draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina, but was sent off in the 72nd minute.

He was part of the team that won the 2016 Toulon Tournament, their first such win for 22 years.

Honours
Southampton
 * EFL Cup runner-up: 2016–17
 * EFL Championship play-offs: 2024

England U21
 * Toulon Tournament: 2016