| Tawanda Chirewa | |
| Fullname: | Tawanda Blessing Chirewa[1] |
| Birth Date: | 11 October 2003 |
| Birth Place: | Chelmsford, England |
| Height: | 1.81m |
| Position: | Right winger |
| Currentclub: | Derby County (on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers) |
| Clubnumber: | 28 |
| Youthclubs1: | Ipswich Town |
| Youthyears1: | –2019 |
| Years1: | 2019–2023 |
| Clubs1: | Ipswich Town |
| Caps1: | 0 |
| Goals1: | 0 |
| Years2: | 2023– |
| Clubs2: | Wolverhampton Wanderers |
| Caps2: | 8 |
| Goals2: | 0 |
| Years3: | 2024– |
| Clubs3: | → Derby County (loan) |
| Caps3: | 2 |
| Goals3: | 0 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2024– |
| Nationalteam1: | Zimbabwe |
| Nationalcaps1: | 4 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 1 |
| Club-Update: | 1 October 2024 |
| Nationalteam-Update: | 10 September 2024 |
Tawanda Blessing Chirewa (born 11 October 2003) is a professional footballer who plays as a right winger for club Derby County on loan from club Wolverhampton Wanderers. Born in England, he represents Zimbabwe internationally.
Chirewa made his debut for Ipswich Town on 12 November 2019, appearing as a second-half substitute in a 0–1 away loss to Colchester United in an EFL Trophy group stage match, he became the second youngest player to make his first-team debut for the club, after Connor Wickham, at 16 years and 31 days old.[2] On 14 July 2020 it was announced that Chirewa had signed a two-year scholarship with Ipswich.[3]
He signed his first professional contract with Ipswich on 2 November 2020, signing a deal until 2022, with the option of an additional year extension.[4]
On 18 September 2023, Chirewa signed for Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers, joining the club's Under-21s side.[5]
Chirewa made his debut Wolves First XI appearance, as a second-half substitute, in the FA Cup away to Brentford on 5 January 2024.[6]
Chirewa made his Premier League debut, as a second-half substitute, in a 0–0 draw away to Brighton & Hove Albion on 22 January 2024.[7]
Chirewa made his first appearance in a Black Country derby in the Fourth Round of the F.A. Cup, in a 2–0 victory against West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns on 28 January 2024. His appearance came as a second-half substitute after crowd unrest breaking out in sections of the ground designated for West Brom supporters led the game to be suspended for half an hour.[8]
On 26 August 2024, Chirewa signed on loan with Derby County until the end of the season.[9] Chirewa made his debut a day later in the EFL Cup at Barrow.[10] A concussion sustained on international duty would rule him of two games in September.[11] Chirewa made his first start for Derby County at Sunderland on 1 October 2024.[12] After this match, he sustained a "freak" quad injury which is expected to rule him out of action for four to eight weeks.[13]
In March 2024, Chirewa was called up by the Zimbabwe national team.[14]
Chirewa made his debut for Zimbabwe on 7 June 2024 in a World Cup qualifier against Lesotho at the Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa. He started the game and played 68 minutes, as Lesotho won the game 2–0.[15] He scored his first international goal in the next game 4 days later, a 1–3 loss to South Africa.[16]
Born in England, Chirewa is of Zimbabwean descent.[17]
| Club | Season | Division | League | FA Cup | EFL Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
| Ipswich Town | 2019–20 | League One | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2020–21 | League One | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | League One | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23 | League One | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |||
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2023–24 | Premier League | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 10 | 0 | ||
| 2024–25 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | |||
| Derby County (loan) | 2024–25 | Championship | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 10 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 0 | |||
| Zimbabwe | 2024 | 4 | 1 | |
| Total | 4 | 1 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Scores and results list Zimbabwe's goal tally first.