| Lewis Bate | |
| Fullname: | Lewis Michael Bate[1] |
| Birth Date: | 28 October 2002 |
| Birth Place: | Sidcup, London, England[2] |
| Height: | 1.72 m |
| Position: | Midfielder |
| Currentclub: | Stockport County |
| Clubnumber: | 4 |
| Youthyears1: | 2009–2011 |
| Youthclubs1: | Foots Cray Lions |
| Youthyears2: | 2011–2021 |
| Youthclubs2: | Chelsea |
| Years1: | 2021–2024 |
| Caps1: | 3 |
| Goals1: | 0 |
| Years2: | 2022–2023 |
| Clubs2: | → Oxford United (loan) |
| Caps2: | 28 |
| Goals2: | 1 |
| Years3: | 2024 |
| Clubs3: | → Milton Keynes Dons (loan) |
| Caps3: | 20 |
| Goals3: | 0 |
| Years4: | 2024– |
| Clubs4: | Stockport County |
| Caps4: | 1 |
| Goals4: | 0 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2018–2019 |
| Nationalteam1: | England U17 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 7 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 0 |
| Nationalyears2: | 2019 |
| Nationalteam2: | England U18 |
| Nationalcaps2: | 2 |
| Nationalgoals2: | 0 |
| Nationalyears3: | 2021– |
| Nationalteam3: | England U20 |
| Nationalcaps3: | 4 |
| Nationalgoals3: | 1 |
| Club-Update: | 10:22, 11 August 2024 (UTC) |
| Ntupdate: | 17:14, 12 November 2021 (UTC) |
Lewis Michael Bate (born 28 October 2002) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder and captains club Stockport County.
Born in London, Bate started his career with local Sidcup-based side Foots Cray Lions, before joining Chelsea at under-8 level.[3] [4] He has listed Chelsea and Liverpool legends Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard as players he looked up to as a child.[3] [5]
After playing a key role for Chelsea's under-18 and under-23 sides, Bate was included on the bench for the Chelsea first team three times. However, he did not feature for the first team, and was linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge in 2021, having rejected a contract offer with The Blues.[6] [7]
On 21 July 2021, Leeds United announced the signing of Bate on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee believed to be £1.5 million.[4] [8] [9] Since signing, Bate has been tipped to be fast-tracked into the first team squad after impressing at under-23 level.[10] He scored his first goal for Leeds under-23s on 4 November 2021 in a 5–3 EFL Trophy loss to Salford City.[11] Bate made his senior debut for Leeds United on 9 January 2022 in the starting line-up for the 2–0 FA Cup third round defeat to West Ham United.[12] He made his Premier League debut the following week, also at West Ham, when he came on as a first half replacement for Adam Forshaw, but was taken off midway through the second half, with Leeds 3–2 ahead, in a tactical substitution for Rodrigo.[13] [14]
Bate was released by Leeds in June 2024 at the conclusion of his contract.[15]
On 4 August 2022, Bate joined Oxford United of League One on loan for the duration of the 2022–23 season.[16] He suffered a hand injury in a game against Derby County on 11 March 2023 and, apart from a brief substitute appearance in the following game,[17] was not expected to make further appearances.[18] Before his injury he had made 26 league appearances, scoring once.
On 19 January 2024, Bate joined League Two club Milton Keynes Dons until the end of the 2023-24 season.[19]
On 20 June 2024 it was announced that Lewis had signed a three-year contract with Stockport County.[20] He was handed the captain's armband ahead of the 2024-25 season.[21]
Bate has represented England at under-17, under-18 and under-20 level. He scored his first goal for the England under-20s in a 1–1 draw with Italy.[22]
A strong passer and dribbler, while also being good in a tackle, Bate can play in numerous midfield roles.[23] He has been described as strong both defensively and going forward, and has been compared to former Netherlands international footballer Clarence Seedorf for his ability to control play.[5]
.
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | EFL Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Chelsea U21 | 2020–21 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||||||
| Leeds United U21 | 2021–22 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | ||||||
| Leeds United | 2021–22 | Premier League | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | |||
| 2023–24 | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |||
| Oxford United (loan) | 2022–23 | EFL League One | 28 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 35 | 1 | ||
| Career total | 30 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 6 | 1 | 43 | 2 | ||||