Sonny Tufail Perkins (born 10 February 2004) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for EFL League One club Leyton Orient, on loan from EFL Championship club Leeds United.
 Perkins warming up for West Ham United | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Sonny Tufail Perkins[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 10 February 2004 | ||
| Place of birth | Waltham Forest, England[2] | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Leyton Orient (on loan from Leeds United) | ||
| Number | 20 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2019 | Leyton Orient | ||
| 2019–2021 | West Ham United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2021–2022 | West Ham United | 1 | (0) |
| 2022– | Leeds United | 1 | (0) |
| 2023–2024 | → Oxford United (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 2024– | → Leyton Orient (loan) | 10 | (1) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2019 | England U15 | 1 | (0) |
| 2020 | England U16 | 3 | (3) |
| 2021–2022 | England U18 | 10 | (4) |
| 2022–2023 | England U19 | 6 | (5) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 07:00, 29 November 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 12:34, 26 March 2023 (UTC) | |||
Club career
editWest Ham United
editIn 2019, Perkins joined West Ham United from Leyton Orient at under-15 level.[3] On 25 November 2021, Perkins was involved in a West Ham senior matchday squad for the first time, being named on the bench for a UEFA Europa League group game against Rapid Wien, coming on as a 78th minute substitute.[4] In July 2022, Perkins rejected West Ham’s offer of a professional contract and left the club with immediate effect.[5] He made three appearances for the club, one in the Premier League and two in the Europa League.[6]
Leeds United
editOn 19 July 2022, he joined Leeds United signing a three-year contract.[7] He made his debut for Leeds on 9 November 2022 in the starting line-up for the 1–0 EFL Cup third round defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers.[8] Perkins scored his first professional goal against Cardiff City at the Cardiff City Stadium in the FA Cup third round tie on 8 January 2023 when he came on as a second-half substitute, scoring the equaliser in stoppage time to earn a 2–2 draw for Leeds, forcing a replay.[9]
Oxford United loan
editOn 25 August 2023, Perkins joined League One team Oxford United on loan for the remainder of the 2023–24 season.[10] He made his first Oxford appearance as a late substitute in a 1–2 home league defeat to Port Vale on 2 September and his full debut in an EFL Trophy home defeat to Milton Keynes Dons on 19 September.[11] He scored once, in a 5–0 victory over Chelsea U21 in the EFL Trophy group stage on 7 November 2023.[11] On 4 January 2024, Leeds recalled Perkins from his loan because of his limited playing time at Oxford.[12]
Leyton Orient loan
editIn June 2024, Perkins signed on loan for Leyton Orient for the 2024–25 season.[13]
International career
editIn July 2018, whilst still at Leyton Orient, Perkins was called up to England's under-15 side.[14] In February 2020, Perkins scored a hat-trick for England U16 against the United States.[3] On 18 October 2021, a month after his debut for the side, Perkins scored his first goal for England U18's in a 3–0 win against Russia.[15]
On 21 September 2022, Perkins made his England U19 debut and scored during a 2–0 2023 U19 EURO qualifying win over Montenegro in Denmark.[16]
Perkins is eligible to represent Pakistan as he is of Pakistani descent through his maternal grandfather.[17]
Style of play
editPerkins' captain at West Ham, Mark Noble, praised Perkins' hold-up play, as well as his versatility, saying "he started in the No10 role and he’s moved up to the centre-forward role for the U23s, and scored a lot of goals".[18]
Personal life
editPerkins' father, Declan, is a former Irish youth international footballer.[19] His aunt is the actress Louise Lombard.[20]
Career statistics
edit- As of match played 1 January 2024
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | EFL Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| West Ham United | 2021–22[21] | Premier League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Leeds United | 2022–23[22] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| Leeds United | 2023–24[11] | Championship | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Oxford United (loan) | 2023–24[11] | League One | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[b] | 1 | 6 | 1 |
| Career total | 5 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 13 | 2 | ||
- ^ Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League
- ^ Appearance(s) in the EFL Trophy
Honours
editIndividual
editReferences
edit- ^ "2021/22 Premier League squads confirmed". Premier League. 10 September 2021. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
- ^ Ancestry.com. England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916–2007 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008.
- ^ a b "Sonny Perkins". West Ham United F.C. Archived from the original on 25 November 2021. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
- ^ "Rapid Wien 0–2 West Ham United". BBC Sport. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
- ^ "Sonny Perkins leaves West Ham United | West Ham United F.C." www.whufc.com.
- ^ "Sonny Perkins". www.westhamstats.info. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
- ^ "Leeds United confirm seventh summer signing amid Premier League rival's vocal disappointment". Leeds Live. 19 July 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
- ^ "Traore fires Wolves past Leeds into EFL Cup last 16". BBC Sport.
- ^ Quinlan, James (8 January 2023). "Sonny Perkins lost for words after first goal in 'tough' Leeds United draw". LeedsLive. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
- ^ "Sonny Perkins joins Oxford United on loan". Leeds United. 25 August 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Games played by Sonny Perkins in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
- ^ "Sonny Perkins Returns to Leeds United". Leeds United F.C. 4 January 2024. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
- ^ "Sonny Perkins joins Leyton Orient on loan". Leeds United. 27 June 2024. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
- ^ "NEWS: Academy player receives England call-up". Leyton Orient F.C. 19 July 2018. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
- ^ "Sonny Perkins on target for England U18s in Marbella". West Ham United F.C. 11 October 2021. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
- ^ "Report: England MU19s 2–0 Montenegro". England Football. Frank Smith. 21 September 2022. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
- ^ Alexander, Shayan. "Pakistani origin of Sonny Perkins". Prosports.pk.
- ^ "Ashby & Perkins receive Premier League debut balls". West Ham United F.C. 8 March 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
- ^ Declan Perkins [@DeclanPerkins] (20 July 2018). "My son has been invited to an England u15 camp" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Has a journalist ever won an international cap?". The Guardian. 24 October 2007. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
- ^ "Games played by Sonny Perkins in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
- ^ "Games played by Sonny Perkins in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
- ^ "As It Happened: 2021/22 Player Awards brought to you by Betway in aid of the Academy". West Ham United F.C. 9 May 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2022.