| Louie Sibley | |
| Fullname: | Louie Joseph Sibley[1] |
| Birth Date: | 2001 9, df=yes[2] |
| Birth Place: | Burton Upon Trent, England[3] |
| Position: | Midfielder |
| Currentclub: | Oxford United |
| Clubnumber: | 14 |
| Youthyears1: | 2010–2019 |
| Youthclubs1: | Derby County |
| Years1: | 2019–2024 |
| Clubs1: | Derby County |
| Caps1: | 147 |
| Goals1: | 13 |
| Years2: | 2024– |
| Clubs2: | Oxford United |
| Caps2: | 3 |
| Goals2: | 1 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2017–2018 |
| Nationalteam1: | England U17 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 5 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 0 |
| Nationalyears2: | 2019 |
| Nationalteam2: | England U18 |
| Nationalcaps2: | 2 |
| Nationalgoals2: | 0 |
| Nationalyears3: | 2019 |
| Nationalteam3: | England U19 |
| Nationalcaps3: | 1 |
| Nationalgoals3: | 0 |
| Nationalyears4: | 2021 |
| Nationalteam4: | England U20 |
| Nationalcaps4: | 1 |
| Nationalgoals4: | 0 |
| Club-Update: | 19:09, 5 October 2024 (UTC) |
| Nationalteam-Update: | 17:57, 6 September 2021 (UTC) |
Louie Joseph Sibley (born 13 September 2001) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Oxford United.
Sibley joined Derby County's academy in 2010, making his first-team debut in December 2019, after he was a part of the club's U18 Premier League championship in 2018–19. Sibley played in over 170 first-team matches for Derby and, during the 2023–24 season, helped the club win back promotion the Championship after a two-year absence in League One. Sibley left Derby for Oxford in the summer of 2024.
Sibley was born and raised in Burton upon Trent and attended Paulet High School.[4]
Sibley has been with Derby County since he joined the Under-8s academy team. After being named the 2017–18 Academy Player of the Year he signed as a first-year scholar at the beginning of the 2018–19 season,[5] a season which ended in a U18 Premier League title success.[6]
On 12 August 2019 Sibley made his professional debut in the EFL Cup against Scunthorpe United.[7] On 28 August of the same year, Sibley received his first senior start, again in the EFL Cup, against Nottingham Forest, which ended in a 3–0 loss. Sibley made his league debut as a substitute in Derby's 3–0 loss to Reading on 21 December 2019.[8] On 20 June 2020, Sibley scored his first senior hat-trick for Derby on only his second league start, away to Millwall.[9] He ended the 2019–20 season with 5 goals in 11 league matches.
On 17 September 2020, Sibley signed a new deal with Derby to take him through to the end of the 2023–24 season.[10] During the 2020–21 season Sibley was a first-team regular, making 32 appearances with his only goal of the season coming in a 2–2 draw against Brentford[11] as Derby avoided relegation by one point.
The 2021–22 season would be an even tougher one for Derby as they were handed multiple points deductions which totalled 21.[12] [13] Injuries limited Sibley's game time and in January 2022, with the club needing to raise funds in administration, Millwall made several bids for Sibley.[14] Sibley stayed at Derby, however, and scored the winning goal in stoppage time in a 1–0 success over Peterborough United on 19 February 2022.[15] This would be Sibley's only Championship goal, as Derby were unable to overcome the deduction and were relegated to League One in April 2022.[16]
During the 2022–23 season, Sibley made a total of 52 appearances, scoring six times, three times in League One, with highlights being the only goal in an EFL Cup win over West Bromwich Albion in August 2022[17] and two goals in a 3–2 league win over Oxford United in March 2023.[18] This was his most productive season in front of goal, though Derby missed out on the League One play-offs by one point at the end of the season.
Sibley was unable to take part in any of the pre-season fixtures ahead of the 2023–24 season or the opening five league matches because of a calf injury.[19] Sibley's first three goals of the season came in the EFL Trophy, once against Lincoln City on 19 September 2023[20] and twice in a 2–1 win at Notts County on 10 October 2023.[21] After this game, Derby head coach Paul Warne described Sibley as the best "finisher" at the club.[22] [23] Sibley scored a 90th-minute winner against Stevenage on 17 February 2024.[24] He was credited with two of Derby's three goals against Port Vale on 2 March 2024; however, the EFL later awarded the opening goal of the game as a Kacper Łopata own goal.[25] At the end of the season, Sibley found himself a regular starter at left-wing back.[26] He made 44 appearances for Derby during the season, scoring six goals as Derby secured promotion to the Championship after finishing League One runners-up.[27]
On 18 May 2024, Derby County confirmed that Sibley was in talks to extend his contract, with his deal expiring in June 2024.[28] On 2 July 2024, it was confirmed that Sibley had left Derby after rejecting his contract offer. In total, Sibley made 173 appearances for Derby, scoring 20 goals.[29]
On 3 July 2024, Sibley joined fellow newly promoted Championship side Oxford United.[30]
Sibley has represented England at U17, U18 and U19 level.
On 6 September 2021, Sibley made his debut for the England U20s during a 6–1 victory over Romania U20s at St. George's Park.[31]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | EFL Cup | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Derby County | 2019–20 | Championship | 11 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 5 | |
| 2020–21 | Championship | 30 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 1 | ||
| 2021–22 | Championship | 26 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 2 | ||
| 2022–23 | League One | 42 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 52 | 6 | ||
| 2023–24 | League One | 38 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 44 | 6 | ||
| Career total | 147 | 13 | 10 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 173 | 20 | |||
Derby County