Harry Souttar Explained

Harry Souttar
Full Name:Harry James Souttar[1]
Birth Date:22 October 1998
Birth Place:Aberdeen, Scotland
Height:2.00m[2]
Position:Centre-back
Currentclub:Sheffield United
(on loan from Leicester City)
Clubnumber:6
Youthclubs1:Brechin City Boys
Youthclubs2:Celtic
Youthyears3:2013–2015
Youthclubs3:Dundee United
Years1:2015–2016
Clubs1:Dundee United
Caps1:2
Goals1:1
Years2:2016–2023
Clubs2:Stoke City
Caps2:61
Goals2:1
Years3:2018
Clubs3:Ross County (loan)
Caps3:13
Goals3:0
Years4:2019–2020
Clubs4:Fleetwood Town (loan)
Caps4:45
Goals4:4
Years5:2023–
Clubs5:Leicester City
Caps5:15
Goals5:0
Years6:2024–
Clubs6:Sheffield United (loan)
Caps6:1
Goals6:0
Nationalyears1:2015–2016
Nationalteam1:Scotland U17
Nationalcaps1:2
Nationalgoals1:0
Nationalyears2:2016–2017
Nationalteam2:Scotland U19
Nationalcaps2:3
Nationalgoals2:0
Nationalyears3:2019–2021
Nationalteam3:Australia U23
Nationalcaps3:7
Nationalgoals3:0
Nationalyears4:2019–
Nationalteam4:Australia
Nationalcaps4:30
Nationalgoals4:11
Club-Update:23:25, 6 January 2024 (UTC)
Ntupdate:16:00, 6 June 2024 (UTC)

Harry James Souttar (born 22 October 1998) is a professional soccer player who plays as a centre-back for Sheffield United, on loan from club Leicester City, and the Australia national team.

Born in Scotland, Souttar began his senior career there with Dundee United before moving to England with Stoke City in 2016. He then joined Leicester City in 2023. After initially representing Scotland at youth level, he switched to play for Australia in 2019 and was a member of their squad at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. His brother John Souttar plays for Scotland.

Early life

Souttar grew up in Luthermuir and attended Luthermuir Primary School Luthermuir, and subsequently Mearns Academy in Laurencekirk.[3] [4] He played youth football for Brechin City Boys Club and was attached to Celtic before joining the academy at Dundee United in July 2013.[5] His older brother John is also a professional footballer and plays for Rangers, as well as representing Scotland. Their mother Heather was born in Port Hedland, Western Australia which meant the Souttar brothers were eligible to represent either Australia or Scotland at the international level.[6] [7] They grew up supporting Brechin City where their father, Jack, had played in the 1970s.[8]

Club career

Dundee United

Souttar played for the Dundee United development team, including alongside his brother John in February 2015. Having featured in a number of match day squads and having been listed as a substitute for the first team, Souttar signed a contract extension in December 2015, tying him to Dundee United until May 2018. He made his first team debut against Partick Thistle in a Scottish Premiership match on 10 May 2016[9] and scored his first senior goal against Kilmarnock four days later.[10]

English Premier League club Stoke City became interested in signing Souttar, and although Dundee United rejected two bids to buy the player during June 2016,[11] it was reported during August 2016 that the clubs had agreed an initial £200,000 fee for his transfer.[12]

Stoke City

Despite an agreement for Souttar's transfer to Stoke City having been reached before the end of the transfer window on 31 August, completion was delayed pending FIFA approval due to the player being under 18 years old.[13] He officially joined Stoke on 29 September 2016, signing a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee.[14] [15] Souttar made his Stoke debut on 23 August 2017 in a 4–0 EFL Cup win over Rochdale.[16] After signing a new contract with Stoke, Souttar joined Scottish Premiership side Ross County on 24 January 2018 until the end of the season.[17] He played 13 times for the Staggies but was unable to help them avoid relegation to the Scottish Championship.[18]

On 30 January 2019, Souttar joined EFL League One side Fleetwood Town on loan for the remainder of the 2018–19 season.[19] Souttar played 11 times for Fleetwood, scoring once against Accrington Stanley.[20] Souttar re-joined Fleetwood on loan for the 2019–20 season.[21] Souttar played regularly under Joey Barton in 2019–20 and his performances earned him the EFL Young Player of the Month award for February 2020.[22] [23] The League One season was ended early due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the table was decided via points per game which saw Fleetwood quality for the EFL League One play-offs in sixth place, where they faced Wycombe Wanderers and lost 6–3 on aggregate.[24]

Souttar made his league debut for Stoke City on 26 September 2020 in a 1–0 win away to Preston North End, and was named as the man of the match.[25] Due to a number of outstanding performances, he was named Stoke City's Player Of The Month in October.[26] Souttar established himself as a key member of Michael O'Neill's side in 2020–21 and he signed a new long term contract with the club in February 2021.[27] He scored his first goal for Stoke in a 2–0 win over Wycombe Wanderers on 6 March 2021.[28] Souttar made 43 appearances in 2020–21 as Stoke finished in 14th position.[29] Souttar began the 2021–22 season in good form having been part of a Stoke defence that had conceded 19 goals in 17 games with the Potters fifth in the Championship before he suffered a season ending anterior cruciate ligament injury whilst playing for Australia in November 2021.[30] Souttar made his return a year later prior to the start of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.[31] After returning to England following the World Cup Souttar attracted bids from Premier League clubs.[32]

Leicester City

On 31 January 2023, Souttar joined Leicester City on a five-and-a-half-year contract for an undisclosed fee.[33] The fee was reported by the BBC to be £15 million which could eventually rise to £20 million with add-ons.[34]

Loan to Sheffield United

On 6 August 2024, Souttar was loaned to Championship club Sheffield United for the 2024–25 season.[35]

International career

Souttar made his debut for the Scotland under-17 team against Romania in February 2015.[36] On 6 March 2019, he was called up to the Australia national under-23 team.[37]

On 10 October 2019, he switched allegiance and debuted for the senior Australian national team at 20 years of age in a World Cup qualifier against Nepal, and scored twice in a 5–0 win; the fourth goal was initially recorded as a Nepalese own goal,[38] but eventually was awarded to Souttar by FIFA.[39] Souttar would go on to score two more goals for Australia in a 7–1 win against Chinese Taipei in his second game for the national team.[40]

At, Souttar is the tallest outfield player to have represented the senior Australia national team, and the second tallest player ever, behind goalkeeper Zeljko Kalac at .[41]

Souttar qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. He was part of the Olyroos Olympic squad. The team beat Argentina in their first group match but were unable to win another match. They were therefore not in medal contention.[42]

He was named in Australia's squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in November 2022.[43] Souttar received significant praise for his defensive performances during the tournament.[44] [45]

Career statistics

Club

Club!rowspan="2"
SeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Dundee United2015–16Scottish Premiership21000021
2016–17Scottish Championship0000100010
Total2100100031
Stoke City U232017–183030
2018–193030
Total6060
Stoke City2017–18Premier League00001010
2018–19Championship00001010
2019–20Championship00000000
2020–21Championship3811040431
2021–22Championship1600021181
2022–23Championship70000070
Total6111081702
Ross County (loan)2017–18Scottish Premiership1300000130
Fleetwood Town (loan)2018–19League One111000000111
2019–20League One343301030413
Total454301030524
Leicester City2022–23Premier League1200000120
2023–24Championship30001040
Total1500010160
Sheffield United (loan)2024–25Championship00001010
Career total136640121901617

International

YearAppsGoals
Australia201924
202182
202240
202374
202491
Total3011

Australia score listed first, score column indicates score after each Souttar goal.

International goals by date, venue, cap, opponent, score, result and competition
scope=colNo.scope=col data-sort-type=dateDatescope=colVenuescope=colCapscope=colOpponentscope=colScorescope=colResultscope=colCompetition
scope=row110 October 2019 Canberra Stadium, Canberra, Australia 1 align=center 3–0 5–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
scope=row2align=center 4–0
scope=row315 October 2019 National Stadium, Kaohsiung, Taiwan 2 align=center 5–1 7–1
scope=row4align=center 7–1
scope=row57 June 2021 Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium, Kuwait City, Kuwait align=center 3 align=center 1–0 align=center 5–1
scope=row615 June 2021 align=center 5 align=center 1–0 align=center 1–0
scope=row79 September 2023 AT&T Stadium, Arlington, United States align=center 17 align=center 1–0 align=center 2–2 Friendly
scope=row818 October 2023 Gtech Community Stadium, London, United Kingdom align=center 19 align=center 1–0 align=center 2–0 Soccer Ashes
scope=row916 November 2023 AAMI Park, Melbourne, Australia align=center 20 align=center 1–0 align=center 7–0 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification
scope=row1021 November 2023 Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium, Kuwait City, Kuwaitalign=center 21 align=center 1–0 align=center 1–0
scope=row1128 January 2024 Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qataralign=center 26 align=center 4–0 align=center 4–0 2023 AFC Asian Cup

Honours

Leicester City

2023–24[46]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Harry Souttar: Profile . worldfootball.net . HEIM:SPIEL . 20 October 2019.
  2. Web site: Leicester City | Harry Souttar | .
  3. Web site: Former Brechin City youth Harry to play for Scotland U17s Euro squad. Brechin Advertiser. 20 January 2017. 2 February 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170202005754/http://www.brechinadvertiser.co.uk/sport/football/former-brechin-city-youth-harry-to-play-for-scotland-u17s-euro-squad-1-3763368. dead.
  4. Web site: Super Souttar excelling in Cod Army defence. 4 March 2019. 5 February 2024. fleetwoodtownfc.com. en-gb.
  5. Web site: Development squad – Harry Souttar. Dundee United F.C.. 11 May 2016.
  6. Web site: How Scottish roots made future Socceroos captain Harry Souttar . Code Sports . 8 November 2022.
  7. Web site: Former Dundee United defender Harry Souttar called into Australia U/23 squad . Evening Telegraph . 26 March 2019.
  8. Web site: The incredible link between Harry Souttar and Michael O'Neill that stretches 12 years and 400 miles . Stoke Sentinel . 19 November 2020 . 19 November 2020.
  9. News: Duthie. Tom. Dundee United 3 Partick 3: United fight back to earn a point. 14 May 2016. Evening Telegraph. 10 May 2016. Dundee.
  10. News: Sutherland. Jonathan. Jonathan Sutherland. Kilmarnock 2–4 Dundee United. 14 May 2016. BBC Sport. 14 May 2016.
  11. News: Duthie. Tom. Dundee United reject another Stoke bid for Harry Souttar. 28 June 2016. Evening Telegraph. 24 June 2016. Dundee.
  12. News: Stoke set to sign Dundee United youngster Harry Souttar – Sky sources. 20 October 2016. Sky Sports. 18 August 2016.
  13. News: Duthie. Tom. Harry Souttar's move to Stoke still in limbo – Evening Telegraph. 20 October 2016. Evening Telegraph. 16 September 2016. Dundee.
  14. Web site: Souttar Deal Completed. Stoke City. 29 September 2016.
  15. Web site: Potters announce signing of teenage defender. Stoke Sentinel. 29 September 2016.
  16. News: Stoke 4–0 Rochdale. BBC Sport . 23 August 2017.
  17. Web site: Harry Souttar joins the club on loan. Ross County FC. 24 January 2018. 25 January 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180125074506/http://rosscountyfootballclub.co.uk/news/archive/signing-news-harry-souttar/. dead.
  18. News: St Johnstone 1–1 Ross County. BBC Sport . 15 May 2018.
  19. Web site: Souttar Heads Out . Stoke City . 30 January 2019.
  20. News: Accrington 0–1 Fleetwood . BBC Sport . 5 May 2019.
  21. Web site: Souttar Heads Back to Highbury . Stoke City . 18 July 2019 . 18 July 2019.
  22. Web site: Fleetwood Town rising star Harry Souttar wins EFL Young Player of the Month . English Football League . 9 March 2020 . 6 July 2020.
  23. News: Phil . Cartwright . Harry Souttar: Fleetwood Town defender wins EFL Young Player of the Month for February . BBC Sport . 9 March 2020 . 6 July 2020.
  24. News: Wycombe Wanderers 2–2 Fleetwood Town . BBC Sport . 6 July 2020.
  25. Web site: Smith. Peter. 27 September 2020. 'Just ask Nick Powell' - Stoke City boss's twice-weekly headaches keep players on edge. 29 September 2020. StokeonTrentLive.
  26. Web site: FC. Stoke City. Stoke City FC - Souttar scoops monthly award. 10 November 2020. Stoke City FC. 9 November 2020 .
  27. News: Harry Souttar: Stoke City defender signs new contract . BBC Sport . 5 February 2021.
  28. Web site: Stoke 2-0 Wycombe Wanderers . 6 March 2021. BBC Sport . 7 March 2021 .
  29. News: AFC Bournemouth 0–2 Stoke City . BBC Sport . 18 May 2021.
  30. News: Harry Souttar: Stoke City centre-back out for rest of season with knee injury . BBC Sport . 21 April 2022.
  31. Web site: Harry Souttar gives honest answer to Stoke City transfer question at World Cup . Stoke Sentinel . 28 November 2022 . 4 February 2023.
  32. Web site: Leicester set to ignite Stoke City transfer deadline day with big Harry Souttar bid . Stoke Sentinel . 30 January 2023 . 4 February 2023.
  33. Web site: Harry completes Leicester switch . Stoke City . 31 January 2023 . 31 January 2023.
  34. News: Leicester City transfer news: Harry Souttar signs for £15m from Stoke . BBC Sport . 4 February 2023.
  35. News: Harry arrives. Sheffield United F.C.. 6 August 2024. 6 August 2024.
  36. News: Fisher. Stewart. Lining up with brother John suits Harry Souttar just fine. 11 May 2016. The Herald. 25 February 2015. Glasgow.
  37. Web site: Graham Arnold announces squad for 2020 AFC U-23 Championship Qualifiers in Cambodia . socceroos.com.au . 6 March 2019 . 2 October 2020.
  38. News: Jamie Maclaren hits hat-trick as Socceroos stroll to win over Nepal . The Guardian . 10 October 2019 . 10 October 2019.
  39. Web site: 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar Qualifiers - Asia - Matches - Australia - Nepal . https://web.archive.org/web/20190901180427/https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/qatar2022/preliminaries/asia/matches/match/400080722/. dead. 1 September 2019. FIFA.com. www.fifa.com. 18 October 2019.
  40. News: Jackson . Ed . Souttar at the double for Roos in Taiwan . . 16 October 2019.
  41. Web site: Smithies . Tom . World Cup qualifiers: Harry Souttar poised to become second-tallest Socceroo in clash against Kuwait . The Daily Telegraph . 8 September 2019.
  42. Web site: Australian Olympic Team for Tokyo 2021. 25 February 2022. The Roar. en-US.
  43. Web site: 8 November 2022 . Socceroos Squad Announced: FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ . 9 November 2022 . Socceroos . en.
  44. Web site: 1 December 2022 . 'Magnet in his Head'. 9 December 2022 . MSN.com . en.
  45. Web site: 27 November 2022. Give him the keys to the country: Australia loses it over 'Superman' Souttar's epic last-ditch tackle'. 9 December 2022 . FoxSports.com.au . en.
  46. Web site: Championship: 2023/24: Current table . Soccerbase . Centurycomm . 5 May 2024.
    Web site: Leicester: Squad details: 2023/24 . Soccerbase . Centurycomm . 5 May 2024.