George Dobson (footballer, born 1997)

George David Dobson (born 15 November 1997) is an English footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL League One club Wrexham. He is a versatile player who can play as a defensive midfielder or as a centre-back, having mainly played as the latter as a youth player.[2]

George Dobson
Personal information
Full name George David Dobson[1]
Date of birth (1997-11-15) 15 November 1997 (age 27)
Place of birth Harold Wood, England
Height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Position(s) Midfielder, Defender
Team information
Current team
Wrexham
Number 15
Youth career
2005–2015 Arsenal
2015–2016 West Ham United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2017 West Ham United 0 (0)
2016–2017Walsall (loan) 21 (1)
2017–2018 Sparta Rotterdam 5 (0)
2017–2018 Jong Sparta 6 (1)
2018–2019 Walsall 60 (1)
2019–2021 Sunderland 34 (0)
2021AFC Wimbledon (loan) 24 (1)
2021–2024 Charlton Athletic 126 (4)
2024– Wrexham 15 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:10, 16 November 2024 (UTC)

Early life

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Dobson attended Brentwood School in Essex between 2009 and 2014 until the age of 16.[3] This is the same school as retired international footballer Frank Lampard and future Charlton Athletic and Wrexham teammate Elliot Lee.[4]

Club career

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West Ham United

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Dobson started his career as a youth player at Arsenal aged eight before joining West Ham on 28 July 2015.[5] Dobson, aged 17 at the time, was placed straight into the club's U21 side and played frequently during the 2015–16 season. At Arsenal, Dobson was played as a centre-back. However, West Ham trained him into a central midfielder, often playing in a holding or defensive role. He is a boyhood West Ham United fan and this helped in the decision of joining the club in 2015.[5]

Walsall (loan)

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On 29 June 2016, Dobson signed for League One side Walsall on a season-long loan.[6] He made his debut in the EFL Cup in a 2–0 home defeat to Yeovil Town.[7] He started the match before being substituted on the 69th minute. His league debut came on 16 August when he started the match in a 0–2 defeat at Chesterfield.[8]

Sparta Rotterdam

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On 16 July 2017, it was announced Dobson had signed for Eredivisie side Sparta Rotterdam for an undisclosed fee.[9]

Walsall

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Dobson re-joined Walsall on a two-and-a-half-year contract during the 2017–18 January transfer window.[10]

Sunderland

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On 25 July 2019, Dobson signed for Sunderland on a three-year deal.[11] He scored his first goal for Sunderland in an EFL Cup tie against Burnley on 28 August 2019.[12]

In the 2020-21 season, Dobson had become a fringe figure at Sunderland, starting only three league games. Despite being unhappy at his lack of gametime, he reportedly turned down potential moves away from the club,[13]

AFC Wimbledon (loan)

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On 22 January 2021, when it was announced that Dobson had joined League One side AFC Wimbledon on loan for the remainder of the season.[14] He scored his first goal for Wimbledon in a 1-1 draw with Wigan Athletic on 16 March 2021.[15]

Charlton Athletic

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Dobson joined Charlton Athletic on 1 July 2021, signing a two-year deal with the club.[16]

In December 2022, following the appointment of Dean Holden as manager, Dobson was given the captaincy to take over from Jayden Stockley.[17]

On 11 February 2024, it was announced that Dobson had signed a pre-contract with Hungarian side Fehérvár which would see him join the club on 1 July 2024. In the club's statement, it said that originally the deal would have seen Dobson move before the 14 February 2024 Hungarian transfer window closure, but that this deal had been cancelled by Charlton Athletic.[18]

On 3 May 2024, after months of speculation, it was confirmed that Dobson would be leaving Charlton Athletic following the end of the 2023-24 season.[19]

Despite having signed a pre-contract with Fehérvár, in July 2024, it was reported that Dobson and Fehérvár have mutually terminated the contract set to kick in from 1 July 2024 due to a change in personal circumstances for the player, making Dobson a free agent.[20]

Wrexham

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On 6 July 2024, Dobson signed for League One club Wrexham on a three-year deal on a free transfer.[21]

Career statistics

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As of match played 16 November 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup League cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
West Ham United 2015–16[22] Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2016–17[23] Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Walsall (loan) 2016–17[24] League One 21 1 0 0 1 0 4[a] 0 26 1
Sparta Rotterdam 2017–18[25] Eredivisie 5 0 0 0 0 0 5 0
Jong Sparta 2017–18[25] Tweede Divisie 6 1 6 1
Walsall 2017–18[26] League One 21 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 21 1
2018–19[27] League One 39 0 3 0 2 0 0 0 44 0
Total 81 2 3 0 3 0 4 0 91 2
Sunderland 2019–20[28] League One 29 0 0 0 4 1 2[a] 0 35 1
2020–21[29] League One 5 0 1 0 1 0 4[a] 1 11 1
Total 34 0 1 0 5 1 6 1 46 2
AFC Wimbledon (loan) 2020–21[29] League One 24 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 24 1
Charlton Athletic 2021–22[30] League One 38 1 2 0 1 0 2[a] 0 43 1
2022–23[31] League One 45 1 3 0 5 0 0 0 53 1
2023–24[32] League One 43 2 2 1 0 0 3[a] 1 48 4
Total 126 4 7 1 6 0 5 1 144 6
Wrexham 2024–25[33] League One 15 0 1 0 1 0 1[a] 0 18 0
Career total 291 8 12 1 15 1 16 2 334 12
  1. ^ a b c d e f Appearances in EFL Trophy

Honours

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Individual

References

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  1. ^ "Notification of shirt numbers: Sunderland" (PDF). English Football League. p. 70. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
  2. ^ Report, Roker (18 January 2021). "Reader's Corner: In defence of George Dobson". Roker Report. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  3. ^ "Old Brentwood football star George Dobson set for Dutch challenge". www.schoolsearch.co.uk. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  4. ^ "StackPath". www.brentwoodschool.co.uk. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Hammers complete Dobson signing". WHUFC.com.
  6. ^ "George Dobson: West Ham send teenage midfielder to Walsall on season-long loan". BBC Sport.
  7. ^ "Walsall 0-2 Yeovil Town (AET)". BBC Sport.
  8. ^ "Games played by George Dobson — Soccerbase". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
  9. ^ "George Dobson leaves club for Sparta Rotterdam". WHUFC.com.
  10. ^ "George Dobson: Walsall re-sign ex-West Ham midfielder from Sparta Rotterdam". BBC Sport. 3 January 2018. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  11. ^ "Sunderland sign midfielder Dobson". BBC Sport.
  12. ^ "Burnley 1-3 Sunderland". BBC. 28 August 2019. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  13. ^ Hunter, James (13 January 2021). "Unhappy George Dobson has turned down chances to leave Sunderland this month, reveals Lee Johnson". ChronicleLive. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  14. ^ "George Dobson: Sunderland loan midfielder to AFC Wimbledon". BBC Sport. 22 January 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  15. ^ "Wimbledon 1-1 Wigan". BBC Sport. 16 March 2021. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  16. ^ "DONE DEAL: Combative midfielder George Dobson signs for the Addicks". Charlton Athletic Official Site. 1 July 2021. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  17. ^ "GEORGE DOBSON TO TAKE OVER CAPTAINCY". www.charltonafc.com. 28 December 2022. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  18. ^ "George Dobson a következő szezontól a Fehérvár FC játékosa!". www.fehervarfc.hu. 11 February 2024. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  19. ^ "2023/24 END-OF-SEASON SQUAD UPDATE". Charlton Athletic Official Site. 3 May 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  20. ^ "Charlton Athletic man shocks new club with transfer U-turn". Football League World. 2 July 2024. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
  21. ^ "Midfielder Dobson signs for Wrexham". BBC Sport. 6 July 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  22. ^ "Games played by George Dobson in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
  23. ^ "Games played by George Dobson in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  24. ^ "Games played by George Dobson in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
  25. ^ a b George Dobson at Soccerway. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
  26. ^ "Games played by George Dobson in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  27. ^ "Games played by George Dobson in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  28. ^ "Games played by George Dobson in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  29. ^ a b "Games played by George Dobson in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  30. ^ "Games played by George Dobson in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  31. ^ "Games played by George Dobson in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  32. ^ "Games played by George Dobson in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  33. ^ "Games played by George Dobson in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  34. ^ "George Dobson named 2022 Player of the Year". Charlton Athletic Official Website. 1 May 2022. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
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