Romelle Troy Donovan (born 30 November 2006) is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for EFL League One club Burton Albion, on loan from divisional rivals Birmingham City, and the England under-19 team.
 Donovan in 2023 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Romelle Troy Donovan[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 30 November 2006[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Birmingham,[2] England | ||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Burton Albion (on loan from Birmingham City) | ||
| Number | 49 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2013–2023 | Birmingham City | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2023– | Birmingham City | 7 | (0) |
| 2024– | → Burton Albion | 6 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2024– | England U18 | 2 | (1) |
| 2024– | England U19 | 2 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21:10, 12 November 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20:09, 13 September 2024 (UTC) | |||
Club career
editBirmingham City
editDonovan was born in Birmingham,[2] and joined Birmingham City's youth system at the pre-academy stage.[3] In early 2023, first-team head coach John Eustace included Donovan in the matchday squads for all three of Birmingham's FA Cup ties, but did not use him.[2] Had he taken the field, he would have become the club's second youngest debutant, behind Jude Bellingham but ahead of Jude's brother Jobe.[4]
Donovan took up a two-year scholarship with Birmingham City ahead of the 2023–24 season.[5] Under-18s coach Martyn Olorenshaw described him as "a creative midfield player with a strong left foot [who] loves scoring from distance with a strong playing personality."[5] He was included in the party for the first-team's pre-season training camp in Spain in July 2023.[6] Still only 16, he began the season as a regular in Birmingham's under-21 team,[7] whose coach, Steve Spooner, said: "With Romelle, when you play him wide he is a danger but if he doesn't see too much of the ball you want him on the ball. We put him in the ten role and he starts creating things and makes things happen", but he needed "to get better disciplined when the ball changes hands."[7] Eustace named Donovan among the substitutes for both of Birmingham's 2023–24 EFL Cup matches, but again he remained unused.[2]
When Wayne Rooney took over as manager in mid-October 2023, he brought Donovan in to train with the first team[8] and named him on the bench for his first match in charge, away to Middlesbrough. Again, Donovan was unused, but he made his Championship debut four days later, replacing Oliver Burke for the last few minutes of a 2–0 defeat at home to Hull City.[2][9] On 30 November 2023, his 17th birthday, Donovan signed his first professional contract, to run until June 2026.[3] He finished the season with ten appearances, of which seven were in league matches.[10]
Burton Albion (loan)
editDonovan joined League One rivals Burton Albion on 24 August 2024 on loan for the remainder of the season.[11]
International career
editOn 22 May 2024, Donovan made a goalscoring debut for the England U18s during a 4–2 win over Northern Ireland at St George's Park.[12][13] He received his first call-up to the England U19s for friendly matches in Croatia in early September.[14] He made his debut for that age group in the starting eleven for the opening match, a 2–2 draw with Italy on 4 September in which he played the first hour and crossed the ball for Ethan Nwaneri to make the score 1–2.[15] He appeared as a substitute in the second game, a 1–1 draw against Croatia three days later,[16] and remained unused in the third.[17]
Career statistics
edit- As of match played 12 November 2024
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | EFL Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Birmingham City | 2022–23[2] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| 2023–24[10] | Championship | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 10 | 0 | ||
| 2024–25[18] | League One | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | ||
| Burton Albion (loan) | 2024–25[18] | League One | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 2[a] | 1 | 9 | 1 | |
| Career total | 13 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 19 | 1 | ||
- ^ Appearance in EFL Trophy
References
edit- ^ Wales, Keith (9 February 2024). "Why George Hall and Romelle Donovan are not in Birmingham City's new 25-man squad as trio included". Birmingham Live. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g "R. Donovan: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 30 December 2023. Click on Domestic Cups for FA Cup selection.
- ^ a b "Blues' Romelle Donovan turns pro!". Birmingham City F.C. 30 November 2023. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
- ^ Dick, Brian (28 January 2023). "Birmingham City 2–2 Blackburn Rovers highlights and reaction". Birmingham Live. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
"Jobe Bellingham: Birmingham City debut for Jude's 16-year-old brother". BBC Sport. 8 January 2022. Retrieved 30 November 2023. - ^ a b "Blues Academy announce first-year scholars". Birmingham City F.C. 14 August 2023. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
- ^ "Romelle Donovan: I see it as a challenge". Birmingham City F.C. 11 July 2023. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
- ^ a b Dicken, Alex (18 September 2023). "Birmingham City notebook: Jay Stansfield reveal, pivotal pair and Romelle Donovan excitement". Birmingham Live. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
- ^ Dicken, Alex (20 October 2023). "Wayne Rooney drops Romelle Donovan hint after ruthless first message to Birmingham City players". Birmingham Live. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
- ^ Dicken, Alex (25 October 2023). "Birmingham City player ratings vs Hull after Wayne Rooney's team are booed off". Birmingham Live. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
- ^ a b "Games played by Romelle Donovan in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
- ^ "Blues' Romelle Donovan loaned to Burton Albion". Birmingham City F.C. 30 August 2024. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ Vassell, Zac (22 May 2024). "Report: England MU18s 4-2 Northern Ireland". England Football. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
- ^ "Romelle Donovan: Internationals". worldfootball.net. HeimSpiel Medien. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
- ^ "Romelle Donovan receives Young Lions selection". Birmingham City F.C. 30 August 2024. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ Veevers, Nicholas (4 September 2024). "Report: England MU19s 2-2 Italy". England Football. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
- ^ Drury, Adam (7 September 2024). "Report: England MU19s 1–1 Croatia". England Football. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
- ^ Drury, Adam (10 September 2024). "Report: England MU19s 2–3 Germany". England Football. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
- ^ a b "Games played by Romelle Donovan in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 November 2024.