Lewis Bate
English footballer (born 2002)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lewis Michael Bate (born 28 October 2002) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder and captains EFL League One club Stockport County.
|
Lewis Bate in action for Stockport County | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Lewis Michael Bate[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 29 October 2002 | ||
| Place of birth | Sidcup, London, England[2][3] | ||
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Stockport County | ||
| Number | 4 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2009–2011 | Foots Cray Lions | ||
| 2011–2021 | Chelsea | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2021–2024 | Leeds United | 3 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | → Oxford United (loan) | 28 | (1) |
| 2024 | → Milton Keynes Dons (loan) | 20 | (0) |
| 2024– | Stockport County | 32 | (2) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2018–2019 | England U17 | 7 | (0) |
| 2019 | England U18 | 2 | (0) |
| 2021– | England U20 | 4 | (1) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 23 February 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 17:14, 12 November 2021 (UTC) | |||
Early life
Born in London, Bate started his career with local Sidcup-based side Foots Cray Lions, before joining Chelsea at under-8 level.[4][5] He has listed Chelsea and Liverpool legends Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard as players he looked up to as a child.[4][6]
Club career
Chelsea
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.[7] 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.[8][9]
Leeds United
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.[5][10][11] Since signing, Bate has been tipped to be fast-tracked into the first team squad after impressing at under-23 level.[12] He scored his first goal for Leeds under-23s on 4 November 2021 in a 5–3 EFL Trophy loss to Salford City.[13] 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.[14] 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.[15][16]
Bate was released by Leeds in June 2024 at the conclusion of his contract.[17]
Oxford United (loan)
On 4 August 2022, Bate joined Oxford United of League One on loan for the duration of the 2022–23 season.[18] 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,[19] was not expected to make further appearances.[20] Before his injury he had made 26 league appearances, scoring once.[21]
Milton Keynes Dons (loan)
On 19 January 2024, Bate joined League Two club Milton Keynes Dons until the end of the 2023–24 season.[22]
Stockport County
On 20 June 2024 it was announced that Lewis had signed a three-year contract with Stockport County.[23] He was handed the captain's armband ahead of the 2024–25 season.[24]
International career
Bate has represented England at under-17, under-18 and under-20 level.[2] He scored his first goal for the England under-20s in a 1–1 draw with Italy.[25]
Style of play
A strong passer and dribbler, while also being good in a tackle, Bate can play in numerous midfield roles.[26] 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.[6]
Career statistics
- As of match played 10 May 2025
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | EFL Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Chelsea U21 | 2020-21[27] | — | — | — | 2[a] | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||||
| Leeds United U21 | 2021-22[28] | — | — | — | 2[a] | 1 | 2 | 1 | ||||
| Leeds United | 2021-22[28] | Premier League | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | |
| 2022-23[29] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2023-24[30] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||
| Oxford United (loan) | 2022-23[29] | League One | 28 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 35 | 1 |
| MK Dons (loan) | 2023-24[30] | League Two | 20 | 0 | — | — | 2[b] | 0 | 22 | 0 | ||
| Stockport County | 2024-25[31] | League One | 32 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3[c] | 0 | 36 | 2 |
| 2025-26[32] | League One | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 32 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 36 | 2 | ||
| Career total | 83 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 102 | 4 | ||
- Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
- Appearance(s) in EFL League Two play-offs
- Two appearances in EFL Trophy, one appearance in EFL League One play-offs
Honours
Individual