Elliot John Embleton (born 2 April 1999) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Carlisle United. He has also played for Sunderland and Blackpool, with loan spells spent at Grimsby Town, Blackpool and Derby County, and has represented England from under-17 to under-20 level.
Embleton was named on the bench on six occasions during the 2016–17 Premier League, having featured many times for the under-23 side.[3] His first-team debut came on 9 December 2017 as an injury-time substitute for Lynden Gooch in a goalless draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers.[4]
On 30 August 2018, Embleton joined Grimsby Town on loan until January 2019.[5] He established himself as a regular starter for the Lincolnshire side, scoring four goals during this period, and on 2 January 2019 the two clubs announced an extension of the loan to the end of the 2018–19 season.[6]
On 1 February 2021, Embleton joined League One side Blackpool on loan for the remainder of the 2020–21 season.[7]
He scored his first goal for Sunderland in a 2–1 win at Milton Keynes Dons on 14 August 2021.[8]
Embleton scored the first of Sunderland's goals in the 2–0 win over Wycombe Wanderers in the 2022 EFL League One play-off final that secured promotion to the EFL Championship.[9]
He played in Sunderland's first 23 games in the Championship in the 2022–23 season, scoring twice before his season was cut short in December after ankle ligament damage in a match against Hull City, an incident for which he got sent off.[10] It was not until September 2023, a month into the following season, when he was fit enough to be in consideration for first-team action.[11]
On 1 September 2023, Embleton joined League One club Derby County on a season-long loan.[12] He made his debut for the club on 16 September 2023, in a 1–1 draw at home to Portsmouth as a 38th-minute substitute.[13] Embleton started Derby's EFL Trophy tie against Lincoln City on 19 September 2023, playing 59 minutes.[14] On 22 September 2023, he picked up an injury whilst taking a corner kick in a light training session on the eve of Derby's match at Carlisle United.[15] On 28 September 2023, Derby head coach Paul Warne confirmed that Embleton had torn his quadriceps and would be out for "three to six months". Warne said the injury may require surgery.[16] Embleton returned to Sunderland for his rehabilitation,[16] with Derby keeping their contribution of the player's wages going until January,[17] but the loan deal was effectively over.[16] The loan was officially terminated on 10 January 2024.[18]
He rejoined Blackpool on a permanent basis in August 2024 for an undisclosed fee.[19]
Embleton joined Carlisle United for an undisclosed fee on 2 January 2025.[20]
Embleton has represented England from under-17 to under-20 level.[21] In May 2017, Embleton was included in an England U20 squad for the 2017 Toulon Tournament.[22] He scored in the semi-final against Scotland.[23] In the final, Embleton converted his penalty during the shoot-out as England defeated Ivory Coast to win the tournament.[24]
In July 2018, Embleton was included in the England U19 squad for the 2018 UEFA European Under-19 Championship.[25] He scored in the opening group match against Turkey.[26]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Sunderland U23 | 2016–17[27] | — | — | — | 2[a] | 1 | 2 | 1 | ||||
| Sunderland | 2017–18[28] | Championship | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | |
| 2018–19[29] | League One | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2019–20[30] | League One | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2020–21[31] | League One | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 12 | 0 | |
| 2021–22[32] | League One | 38 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5[b] | 1 | 47 | 9 | |
| 2022–23[33] | Championship | 23 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 2 | |
| 2023–24[34] | Championship | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total | 75 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 92 | 11 | ||
| Grimsby Town (loan) | 2018–19[29] | League Two | 27 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 4 |
| Blackpool (loan) | 2020–21[31] | League One | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3[c] | 1 | 21 | 2 |
| Derby County (loan) | 2023–24[34] | League One | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1[a] | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Blackpool | 2024–25[35] | League One | 15 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3[a] | 1 | 23 | 1 |
| Carlisle United | 2024–25[35] | League Two | 18 | 0 | — | — | — | 18 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 122 | 14 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 13 | 3 | 148 | 18 | ||
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