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Michael Ihiekwe
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Michael Ihiekwe
Michael Uzoukwu Absalom Jude Ihiekwe (born 20 November 1992) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for EFL League One club Blackpool.
Ihiekwe began his career at Wolverhampton Wanderers and became a professional in March 2011. He spent the second half of the 2013–14 season on loan at Cheltenham Town before he signed with Tranmere Rovers in June 2014. He spent three seasons at the club, making 130 league and cup appearances, with Tranmere being relegated to the National League after his first season there. He returned to the English Football League by signing with Rotherham United in May 2017. He played 184 games in five years at the club, playing in two League One promotion campaigns, 2019–20 and 2021–22, being named on the PFA Team of the Year on both occasions. He also had a three-month loan spell at Accrington Stanley during the 2018–19 campaign and won the EFL Trophy with Rotherham in 2022. He signed with Sheffield Wednesday in June 2022 and was promoted out of the League One play-offs with the club in 2023. He played 82 games for the club, including 48 appearances in the Championship, before he was released at the end of the 2024–25 season.
Ihiekwe grew up in Allerton and was a member of his boyhood club, Liverpool's academy system from the age of ten, before he was released during the 2010–11 season. He played as a forward and then a midfielder before being converted to a defender at age 11. He joined the youth ranks of Wolverhampton Wanderers in January 2011 and captained the Premier League 2 team. He signed a professional contract in March 2011. In May 2012, Ihiekwe signed a contract extension after the club activated a one-year option. He was named in matchday squads during the 2013–14 season. Manager Kenny Jackett told him he was good enough to play for the club but that the form of Richard Stearman and Danny Batth kept him from making his debut.
He joined League Two club Cheltenham Town initially on a month-long loan in January 2014. Ihiekwe then made his senior debut on 25 January in a 1–1 draw at Plymouth Argyle, with his loan at Whaddon Road then being extended to run until the end of the season, during which he made 13 appearances. His contract at Wolves expired in summer 2014. He departed Molineux after not making any appearances for the club.
Ihiekwe signed a two-year deal with League Two club Tranmere Rovers on 18 June 2014. Manager Rob Edwards said that "he reads the game well and is a play with lots of potential". Ihiekwe made his debut at Prenton Park on the opening game of the season, a 1–1 draw against York City, where he played 90 minutes. On 1 November, Ihiekwe scored his first goal in professional football, in a 2–2 draw with Stevenage. However, he suffered ankle injury during a match against Cambridge United after a challenge that saw him stretchered off the field. The injury was not serious and he made his return to the first-team weeks later. His return was short-lived as he suffered an injury three weeks later. He regained his first-team place towards the end of the 2014–15 season, playing 46 games in total, but was unable to help manager Micky Adams to avoid relegation to the Conference Premier (to be renamed as the National League).
Ihiekwe adapted well to non-League football, scoring his first goal of the 2015–16 season in a 4–1 win over Gateshead. However, he was soon sidelined for months with a hamstring injury. After making his first-team return in a 1–1 draw against FC Halifax Town on 19 December, Ihiekwe scored his second goal of the season seven days later in a 2–1 win over Macclesfield Town. He retained his first-team place for the whole season, as he made 35 league appearances. Ihiekwe was offered a new contract and signed a one-year contract extension in June.
On 1 October 2016, he received the first red card of his career for a trip in a goalless draw at Dagenham & Redbridge. As the 2016–17 season progressed under new manager Micky Mellon, Ihiekwe began to play in a full-back position, rather than at centre-back as he had played under the management of Gary Brabin. Tranmere ended the season with ten clean sheets in 20 matches as Ihiekwe formed a solid centre-back partnership with Steve McNulty. He scored a brace against Sutton United on 3 April. He played in the 2017 National League play-off final at Wembley Stadium, which ended in a 3–1 defeat to Forest Green Rovers. Despite the defeat, he had impressed Rotherham United manager Paul Warne, who attended the game to scout Christian Doidge. Tranmere offered Ihiekwe a new contract, but he opted to move on after securing an offer from a club in the Football League.
On 25 May 2017, League One club Rotherham United announced that Ihiekwe had joined on a two-year contract. He made 35 appearances in the 2017–18 campaign, scoring one goal. Rotherham won the 2018 League One play-off final to secure promotion into the Championship, though Ihiekwe was not in the matchday squad due to injury despite playing in both legs of the semi-final victory over Scunthorpe United; he had scored an own goal for Scunthorpe in the first leg at the New York Stadium.
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Michael Ihiekwe
Michael Uzoukwu Absalom Jude Ihiekwe (born 20 November 1992) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for EFL League One club Blackpool.
Ihiekwe began his career at Wolverhampton Wanderers and became a professional in March 2011. He spent the second half of the 2013–14 season on loan at Cheltenham Town before he signed with Tranmere Rovers in June 2014. He spent three seasons at the club, making 130 league and cup appearances, with Tranmere being relegated to the National League after his first season there. He returned to the English Football League by signing with Rotherham United in May 2017. He played 184 games in five years at the club, playing in two League One promotion campaigns, 2019–20 and 2021–22, being named on the PFA Team of the Year on both occasions. He also had a three-month loan spell at Accrington Stanley during the 2018–19 campaign and won the EFL Trophy with Rotherham in 2022. He signed with Sheffield Wednesday in June 2022 and was promoted out of the League One play-offs with the club in 2023. He played 82 games for the club, including 48 appearances in the Championship, before he was released at the end of the 2024–25 season.
Ihiekwe grew up in Allerton and was a member of his boyhood club, Liverpool's academy system from the age of ten, before he was released during the 2010–11 season. He played as a forward and then a midfielder before being converted to a defender at age 11. He joined the youth ranks of Wolverhampton Wanderers in January 2011 and captained the Premier League 2 team. He signed a professional contract in March 2011. In May 2012, Ihiekwe signed a contract extension after the club activated a one-year option. He was named in matchday squads during the 2013–14 season. Manager Kenny Jackett told him he was good enough to play for the club but that the form of Richard Stearman and Danny Batth kept him from making his debut.
He joined League Two club Cheltenham Town initially on a month-long loan in January 2014. Ihiekwe then made his senior debut on 25 January in a 1–1 draw at Plymouth Argyle, with his loan at Whaddon Road then being extended to run until the end of the season, during which he made 13 appearances. His contract at Wolves expired in summer 2014. He departed Molineux after not making any appearances for the club.
Ihiekwe signed a two-year deal with League Two club Tranmere Rovers on 18 June 2014. Manager Rob Edwards said that "he reads the game well and is a play with lots of potential". Ihiekwe made his debut at Prenton Park on the opening game of the season, a 1–1 draw against York City, where he played 90 minutes. On 1 November, Ihiekwe scored his first goal in professional football, in a 2–2 draw with Stevenage. However, he suffered ankle injury during a match against Cambridge United after a challenge that saw him stretchered off the field. The injury was not serious and he made his return to the first-team weeks later. His return was short-lived as he suffered an injury three weeks later. He regained his first-team place towards the end of the 2014–15 season, playing 46 games in total, but was unable to help manager Micky Adams to avoid relegation to the Conference Premier (to be renamed as the National League).
Ihiekwe adapted well to non-League football, scoring his first goal of the 2015–16 season in a 4–1 win over Gateshead. However, he was soon sidelined for months with a hamstring injury. After making his first-team return in a 1–1 draw against FC Halifax Town on 19 December, Ihiekwe scored his second goal of the season seven days later in a 2–1 win over Macclesfield Town. He retained his first-team place for the whole season, as he made 35 league appearances. Ihiekwe was offered a new contract and signed a one-year contract extension in June.
On 1 October 2016, he received the first red card of his career for a trip in a goalless draw at Dagenham & Redbridge. As the 2016–17 season progressed under new manager Micky Mellon, Ihiekwe began to play in a full-back position, rather than at centre-back as he had played under the management of Gary Brabin. Tranmere ended the season with ten clean sheets in 20 matches as Ihiekwe formed a solid centre-back partnership with Steve McNulty. He scored a brace against Sutton United on 3 April. He played in the 2017 National League play-off final at Wembley Stadium, which ended in a 3–1 defeat to Forest Green Rovers. Despite the defeat, he had impressed Rotherham United manager Paul Warne, who attended the game to scout Christian Doidge. Tranmere offered Ihiekwe a new contract, but he opted to move on after securing an offer from a club in the Football League.
On 25 May 2017, League One club Rotherham United announced that Ihiekwe had joined on a two-year contract. He made 35 appearances in the 2017–18 campaign, scoring one goal. Rotherham won the 2018 League One play-off final to secure promotion into the Championship, though Ihiekwe was not in the matchday squad due to injury despite playing in both legs of the semi-final victory over Scunthorpe United; he had scored an own goal for Scunthorpe in the first leg at the New York Stadium.
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