Benjamin David Sheaf (born 5 February 1998) is an English footballer who plays as a midfielder for Coventry City. He has represented England at youth level.
 Sheaf with Arsenal U21 in 2015 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Benjamin David Sheaf[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 5 February 1998[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Dartford, Kent, England[3] | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder[2] | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Coventry City | ||
| Number | 14 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2011–2014 | West Ham United | ||
| 2014–2017 | Arsenal | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017–2021 | Arsenal | 0 | (0) |
| 2018 | → Stevenage (loan) | 10 | (0) |
| 2019–2020 | → Doncaster Rovers (loan) | 32 | (1) |
| 2020–2021 | → Coventry City (loan) | 30 | (0) |
| 2021– | Coventry City | 98 | (7) |
| International career | |||
| 2013–2014 | England U16 | ||
| 2015 | England U18 | 2 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:00, 28 November 2023 (UTC) | |||
Club career edit
Arsenal edit
Sheaf started his youth career with the reserves of West Ham United at the age of 13,[4] before joining the Arsenal youth setup on 2 July 2014.[5] He earned the praise of senior team manager Arsène Wenger who said that Sheaf was "always ahead of the game".[6] He scored his first goal for the Arsenal U19 in a 3–2 victory over Greek club Olympiacos on 29 September 2015, where he found the net in the 41st minute from the penalty spot.[7]
In October 2015, Sheaf was invited to train with the first team,[8] and days later he was an unused substitute in the club's 3–0 defeat against Sheffield Wednesday.[9] He stated that, although the result was not satisfactory, the experience of being involved in the first-team was good for him as he got to "see how things are done".[10] He made his first-team debut for Arsenal on 19 October 2017, coming on as an 89th-minute substitute for Francis Coquelin in a 1–0 victory over Red Star Belgrade in the UEFA Europa League.[11]
Loan to Stevenage edit
Sheaf joined League Two side Stevenage on loan on 26 January 2018, joining the Hertfordshire club on a deal until the end of the 2017–18 season.[12] He made his debut in a 2–0 loss against Notts County in League Two on 24 February.[13] He made 10 appearances for the side by the end of the loan spell.[14]
Loan to Doncaster Rovers edit
Sheaf joined League One side Doncaster Rovers on loan on 12 July 2019, joining the League One side for six months.[15][16] He made his debut and was named in the starting line-up in a 1–1 draw against Gillingham on 3 August.[17][18] His loan deal was extended until the end of the 2019–20 season on 7 January 2020.[19] On 15 February 2020, he scored his first goal for the club in a 2–1 defeat against Gillingham in the reverse fixture.[20] At the end, Sheaf played 38 games in all competitions for the side.[21]
Coventry City edit
On 4 September 2020, Sheaf joined newly-promoted Championship side Coventry City on a season-long loan deal with the option to make the deal permanent after.[22] He made his first appearance for the club in a 2–1 defeat against Bristol City on 12 September.[23][24]
Sheaf signed for Coventry City on a 3 year deal in July 2021.[25]
International career edit
Sheaf debuted for England under-16 team in the Victory Shield. As of July 2014, he has played twice for the under-16 national team.[4] He was part of the England U18's which played a couple of friendlies against the Netherlands in September 2015. They won 2–0 in the first game which Sheaf scored a penalty[26] and drew the second game 0–0.
Personal life edit
Sheaf comes from a sporting family. His mother was a top-level volleyball and beach volleyball player, and his older brother Jake was also a professional beach volleyball player. Sheaf's father was a footballer at county level, whilst his younger brother Max is a former Arsenal player and current player for Ross County.[10]
Career statistics edit
- As of match played on 13 April 2024
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | EFL Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Arsenal | 2017–18[27] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2018–19[28] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2019–20[29] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2020–21[30] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Stevenage (loan) | 2017–18[27] | League Two | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 10 | 0 | |
| Doncaster Rovers (loan) | 2019–20[29] | League One | 32 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[c] | 0 | 38 | 1 |
| Coventry City (loan) | 2020–21[30] | Championship | 30 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 32 | 0 | |
| Coventry City | 2021–22[31] | Championship | 35 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 37 | 2 | |
| 2022–23[32] | 35 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2[d] | 0 | 38 | 3 | ||
| 2023–24[33] | 28 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 4 | ||
| Total | 98 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 106 | 9 | ||
| Career total | 170 | 8 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 189 | 10 | ||
- ^ Appearance in Europa League
- ^ Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy for Arsenal U21 Squad
- ^ Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
- ^ Appearance in the 2023 English Football League play-offs
References edit
- ^ "List of Temporary Transfers of Players under Written Contract Between 01/01/2018 and 31/01/2018". The Football Association. p. 27. Archived from the original on 24 October 2019.
- ^ a b c Ben Sheaf at Soccerway. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
- ^ "Ben Sheaf". Arsenal.com. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
- ^ a b "Arsenal sign West Ham wonderkid Ben Sheaf". All Arsenal. 3 July 2014. Archived from the original on 20 October 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
- ^ "Arsenal raid West Ham to sign England Under-16 midfielder Ben Sheaf". Metro. 2 July 2014. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
- ^ "Arsene Wenger makes huge claim about Arsenal defender". Express. 9 May 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
- ^ "Youth League: Arsenal 3-2 Olympiacos". Arsenal F.C. 29 September 2015. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
- ^ "Who is Ben Sheaf? The Arsenal starlet profiled after he takes part in first-team training". Mirror. 27 October 2015. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
- ^ "Arsenal pay high price in Sheffield Wednesday nightmare". Daily Cannon. 27 October 2015. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
- ^ a b "Feature: Ben Sheaf". Arsenal F.C. 4 February 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
- ^ Steinberg, Jacob (19 October 2017). "Red Star Belgrade v Arsenal: Europa League – as it happened". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
- ^ "Ben Sheaf joins from Arsenal on loan". Stevenage F.C. 26 January 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ "REPORT: Notts County 2-0 Stevenage". www.stevenagefc.com. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
- ^ "Rovers loan Arsenal youngster Sheaf". www.doncasterroversfc.co.uk. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
- ^ "Ben Sheaf joins from Arsenal on loan". Arsenal F.C. 12 July 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
- ^ "Doncaster Rovers: Arsenal youngster Ben Sheaf agrees six-month loan deal". BBC Sport. 12 July 2019. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
- ^ "Doncaster Rovers 1-1 Gillingham". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
- ^ Critchlow, Dan (21 August 2019). "Doncaster fansite give their thoughts on Arsenal loanee Ben Sheaf so far". Retrieved 24 March 2021.
- ^ "Club News Sheaf extends loan until end of the season". Doncaster Rovers. 7 January 2020. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
- ^ "Gillingham 2 Rovers 1". www.doncasterroversfc.co.uk. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
- ^ Turner, Andy (4 September 2020). "Lowdown on Coventry City's loan man from Arsenal, Ben Sheaf". CoventryLive. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
- ^ "Coventry sign Arsenal midfielder Sheaf". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
- ^ "REPORT: Bristol City 2-1 Sky Blues". www.ccfc.co.uk. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
- ^ Turner, Andy (11 November 2020). "Chris Badlan on "unnoticed" quality of Sky Blues' Ben Sheaf". CoventryLive. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
- ^ "Coventry City re-sign Arsenal midfielder Ben Sheaf on Permanent Deal". Coventry Live.
- ^ Association, The Football. "Ben Sheaf and Kazaiah Sterling help England see off Holland". www.thefa.com. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
- ^ a b "Games played by Ben Sheaf in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
- ^ "Games played by Ben Sheaf in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
- ^ a b "Games played by Ben Sheaf in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
- ^ a b "Games played by Ben Sheaf in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
- ^ "Games played by Ben Sheaf in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
- ^ "Games played by Ben Sheaf in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
- ^ "Games played by Ben Sheaf in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
External links edit
- Ben Sheaf at Soccerway
- Arsenal F.C. profile
