1. Overview
Jack Stephens, born on January 27, 1994, in Torpoint, Cornwall, is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender and serves as captain for Southampton. Originally starting his career as a right-back, he has primarily been converted into a centre-back but can also operate as a left-back or in a defensive midfield role. Stephens has represented England at various youth levels, including the under-18, under-19, under-20, and under-21 teams. He stands at 73 in (185 cm) tall and weighs 185 lb (84 kg).
2. Early Life and Background
Jack Stephens was born on January 27, 1994, in the town of Torpoint, located in Cornwall, England. His early life was rooted in this region before his professional football career took off.
2.1. Childhood and Education
Stephens attended Torpoint Community College during his formative years. He began his journey in football at a young age, joining the youth academy of Plymouth Argyle in 2005 when he was 11 years old. This marked the beginning of his development as a footballer before he transitioned into the professional ranks.
3. Club Career
Jack Stephens' club career began at Plymouth Argyle before he made a significant move to Southampton FC, where he has spent the majority of his professional career, interspersed with several loan spells to gain experience.
3.1. Plymouth Argyle
Stephens joined Plymouth Argyle's youth setup in 2005 at the age of 11. He quickly progressed through the ranks, advancing to the club's youth team in 2009 following a series of impressive performances in the junior section of the Milk Cup. His consistent appearances in the Football League Youth Alliance led to his promotion to the club's reserve team. In September 2010, Stephens began training with Plymouth Argyle's first team and was subsequently included in the 18-man squad for their league match against Sheffield Wednesday. He made his professional debut as a late substitute in that match, contributing to Argyle's 3-2 victory. Although primarily a right-back at the time, Stephens demonstrated versatility, with the club's youth development officer, John James, noting his ability to play in central defense. James also highlighted Stephens' forward runs, speed, dribbling skills, and heading ability, describing him as a "big lad" at 6 in who was still growing. He made a total of 6 appearances for Plymouth Argyle.
3.2. Southampton FC
Stephens' long tenure at Southampton began in 2011, encompassing his development as a youth player, multiple loan spells, and his eventual establishment as a key senior player and captain.
3.2.1. Early Career and Loan Moves
On April 5, 2011, Jack Stephens transferred to Southampton for a fee of 150.00 K GBP, signing an initial three-year contract. Upon his arrival, he was integrated into the club's development squad. Stephens made his first-team debut for Southampton on January 7, 2012, in an FA Cup match against Coventry City, coming on as a second-half substitute for Dan Harding in a 2-1 victory. In 2012, he was promoted to the first team as Southampton prepared for their return to the Premier League.
To gain further experience, Stephens embarked on several loan spells. On March 13, 2014, he joined League One side Swindon Town on loan until May 3. He rejoined Swindon Town on September 1, 2014, on another loan deal until January 2015, which was subsequently extended until the end of the season. During this period, he scored his first career goal on January 17, 2015, with a header from Harry Toffolo's cross, opening the scoring in a 3-1 win over Chesterfield at the County Ground.
On July 31, 2015, Stephens signed a two-year contract extension with Southampton, committing him to the club until the summer of 2019. Immediately after, he completed a season-long loan move to Championship side Middlesbrough. However, in January 2016, he was recalled by then-manager Ronald Koeman, who was dissatisfied with Stephens' limited playing time, as he had only featured in one league match for Middlesbrough. Following this recall, on February 1, Stephens joined League One club Coventry City on loan for the remainder of the season.
3.2.2. Senior Career at Southampton
Stephens made his Premier League debut for Southampton on January 2, 2017, coming on as a first-half substitute for the injured Cédric Soares in a 3-0 defeat against Everton. Later that season, on February 26, 2017, he featured in a 3-2 defeat against Manchester United in the EFL Cup final.
His first goal for Southampton came on January 27, 2018, in a 1-0 FA Cup victory over Watford. Four days later, he scored his first Premier League goal, equalizing in a 1-1 draw against south coast rivals Brighton & Hove Albion. His impressive scoring run continued with a third goal in as many matches on February 3, contributing to a 3-2 victory over fellow strugglers West Bromwich Albion. On April 8, 2018, Stephens received a red card for shoving Jack Wilshere during a 3-2 defeat to Arsenal. He concluded the 2018-19 season with 29 appearances across all competitions.
In the 2019-20 season, Stephens scored his first goal on October 29, 2019, in a 3-1 EFL Cup defeat against Manchester City. His sole Premier League goal of that season was on December 21, 2019, in a 3-1 away victory over Aston Villa. On June 25, 2020, he received another red card, this time during a 2-0 defeat to Arsenal, for a foul on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
During the 2021-22 season, Stephens had played every minute in all competitions for Southampton until he sustained a knee injury on September 18, 2021, in a 0-0 draw against Manchester City. Manager Ralph Hasenhüttl later confirmed that Stephens could be sidelined for up to 12 weeks. He made his return from injury on December 11, 2021, appearing in a 3-0 defeat to Arsenal.
3.2.3. 2022-2023: Loan to AFC Bournemouth
Before his loan move to AFC Bournemouth, Jack Stephens made two appearances for Southampton in the 2022-23 season: a 4-1 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur and a 2-2 draw against Leeds United. On September 1, 2022, a deadline day move saw Stephens join AFC Bournemouth on a season-long loan. He made his first appearance for Bournemouth on September 17, 2022, as an 89th-minute substitute for Philip Billing in a 1-1 draw against Newcastle. His first league start for the club came on November 12, 2022, in a 3-0 victory over Everton. He made 17 appearances for Bournemouth during his loan spell.
3.2.4. 2023-Present
On August 4, 2023, Jack Stephens signed a new two-year contract extension with Southampton. Just a week later, on August 11, 2023, it was announced that he would become the club's new captain, following the anticipated departure of James Ward-Prowse, who left the club three days later.
However, his captaincy began with an injury setback. During a 2-1 victory against Queens Park Rangers on August 26, 2023, Stephens was forced off in the first half due to a left leg injury. Manager Russell Martin initially expressed concerns, stating the club might need to "fear the worst," but a few days later, he revealed the injury was "not as bad" as first thought. Stephens made his return from injury on December 16, 2023, coming on as a 66th-minute substitute for Taylor Harwood-Bellis in a 4-0 victory against Blackburn Rovers. Following Southampton's promotion to the Premier League, a one-year contract extension was automatically triggered on July 20, 2024.
On September 14, 2024, Stephens received a straight red card during a 3-0 home defeat against Manchester United for a foul on Alejandro Garnacho, resulting in a three-match suspension. Subsequently, on October 1, 2024, he was fined 50.00 K GBP and given an additional two-match suspension for misconduct, after admitting to using abusive and insulting language towards referee Stuart Attwell and fourth official Gavin Ward. His disciplinary issues continued on December 4, 2024, when he received another red card during a 5-1 home defeat against Chelsea for pulling the hair of Marc Cucurella, leading to a four-match suspension.
4. International Career
Jack Stephens has represented England at various youth levels, showcasing his talent on the international stage.
4.1. England Youth Teams
Stephens received his first call-up to the England under-18 squad for a match against Poland in March 2012. He played the first half of the 3-0 victory held at Crewe Alexandra's home ground, Alexandra Stadium. Later that year, he progressed to the under-19 team, making his debut on September 26 in a 3-0 win over Estonia during the qualifying stages of the 2013 European Championships, playing the full 90 minutes. He also played 45 minutes of the 6-0 win over the Faroe Islands on September 28, before being replaced by fellow Southampton player Calum Chambers. On October 1, he played the full 90 minutes in a 1-1 draw with Ukraine, and on November 13, he featured in the first half of a 1-0 friendly win over Finland, a match that also included Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse.
Stephens made his debut for the England under-21 side on November 12, 2015, in a goalless draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina, though he was sent off in the 72nd minute. He was a part of the England U21 team that won the 2016 Toulon Tournament, marking their first victory in the competition in 22 years. He has made 1 appearance for the U18s, 4 for the U19s, 4 for the U20s, and 8 for the U21s, scoring 1 goal for the U21 team.
5. Career Statistics
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Plymouth Argyle | 2010-11 | League One | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Total | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | ||
| Southampton | 2011-12 | Championship | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 1 | 0 | |
| 2012-13 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2016-17 | Premier League | 17 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 0 | |
| 2017-18 | Premier League | 22 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | 27 | 3 | ||
| 2018-19 | Premier League | 24 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | - | 29 | 1 | ||
| 2019-20 | Premier League | 28 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | - | 31 | 2 | ||
| 2020-21 | Premier League | 18 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 22 | 0 | ||
| 2021-22 | Premier League | 11 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 16 | 0 | ||
| 2022-23 | Premier League | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2023-24 | Championship | 23 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 30 | 0 | |
| 2024-25 | Premier League | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 11 | 0 | ||
| Total | 156 | 4 | 23 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 192 | 6 | ||
| Swindon Town (loan) | 2013-14 | League One | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Swindon Town (loan) | 2014-15 | League One | 37 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 42 | 1 |
| Middlesbrough (loan) | 2015-16 | Championship | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | - | 5 | 0 | |
| Coventry City (loan) | 2015-16 | League One | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| AFC Bournemouth (loan) | 2022-23 | Premier League | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 17 | 0 | |
| Career total | 240 | 5 | 25 | 1 | 15 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 288 | 7 | ||
6. Honours
Southampton
- EFL Cup runner-up: 2016-17
- EFL Championship play-offs: 2024
England U21
- Toulon Tournament: 2016