Lee Carsley

Carsley made 30 appearances during his first season in the top-flight as the club consolidated its position with a 12th-place finish.

Lee Kevin Carsley (born 28 February 1974) is a former professional footballer who is head coach of England U21.

In a playing career lasting 17 years, he is best remembered for his spells as a midfielder in the Premier League and Football League with Everton and Derby County.

Born in Birmingham, England, Carsley represented the Republic of Ireland at international level.

A defensive midfielder, Carsley began his career with First Division club Derby County and made his debut in a 6–1 Anglo-Italian Cup group stage victory over Cesena on 6 September 1994.

He went on to become a regular fixture in the team during the 1994–95 and 1995–96 seasons, making 37 appearances and scoring two goals in the latter campaign to help the Rams to a second-place finish and promotion to the Premiership.

He made 8 appearances in the final two months of the 1998–99 season and failed to taste victory before suffering relegation to the First Division.

He remained at Pride Park until March 1999 and departed Derby having made 166 appearances and scored five goals for the club.

Carsley joined Premiership strugglers Blackburn Rovers in March 1999 for a £3.4 million fee.

Despite falling out of favour with new manager Graeme Souness and handing in a transfer request, Carsley played on into the 2000–01 season, before leaving the club in December 2000.

Carsley made 55 appearances and scored 13 goals during just over 18 months at Ewood Park.

Carsley signed with struggling Premiership club Coventry City in December 2000 on a four-and-a-half year contract for a fee believed to be £2.5 million.

Despite being a near ever-present under Gordon Strachan, he could not prevent the Highfield Road club from suffering relegation to the second-tier for the first time in 34 years.

Despite manager Walter Smith departing the following month, his replacement David Moyes kept Carsley in the team and he made 8 appearances in what remained of the 2001–02 season, scoring his first goal for the club with a first half equaliser in an eventual 4–3 defeat to Arsenal on the final day of the season.

Despite Coventry looking outside bets for a place in the promotion playoffs, Carsley left the club in March 2002, having made 52 appearances and scored four goals.

Carsley signed for Premiership club Everton in February 2002 on a four-and-a-half year deal for a £1.9 million fee.

Carsley enjoyed mixed fortunes during his first two seasons at Everton, but 2004–05 saw him become an increasingly important player within the team.

He was a regular starter in a 4–1–4–1 formation, sitting just in front of the defence and just behind the midfield.

In December 2004, Carsley scored the winner in the 200th Merseyside derby between Everton and Liverpool, a strike which won him Everton's Goal of the Season award.

The win took Everton temporarily to second place in the Premier League.

He continued to perform well and Everton finished 4th, gaining entry to the third qualifying stage of the Champions League.

Four minutes from the end of the 2004–05 season, Carsley was stretchered off with a twisted knee during a 3–2 defeat to Bolton Wanderers (a game in which he scored).

He was fit to resume pre-season training but strained medial ligaments in a pre-season friendly away to Fenerbahçe in late July 2005.

He made five further appearances during the 2005–06 season, before his season was ended after receiving a dubious straight red card for a foul on Didier Drogba in a league match versus Chelsea on 17 April.

He returned to the team for Everton's FA Cup fourth round replay versus Chelsea on 8 February 2006, replacing Leon Osman late in the 4–1 defeat.

Carsley started every league game during the 2006–07 season and helped Everton to 6th place and UEFA Cup qualification.

He signed a new one-year contract in May 2007 and was again an integral part of the team during the 2007–08 season, making 49 appearances and scoring one goal.

Carsley turned down the offer of a new contract and departed Goodison Park at the end of the season, after making 199 appearances and scoring 13 goals during just over six years with Everton.

Carsley signed for hometown Championship club Birmingham City in May 2008.

With club captain Damien Johnson expected to be out of action for several months following a back operation, Carsley began the 2008–09 season as captain.

He made 44 appearances and scored two goals to help the Blues to a second-place finish and promotion straight back to the Premier League.

Carsley won the Players' and Junior Blues' Player of the Season awards.

Carsley suffered an injury-hit 2009–10 season, making just 9 appearances and scoring one goal.

He departed St Andrew's at the end of the campaign and made 53 appearances and scored three goals during his time with the Blues.

Carsley returned to former club Coventry City, then in the Championship, in July 2010, signing a one-year contract.

After retiring from playing in 2011, Carsley entered coaching with Coventry City.

He held youth roles with Coventry, Brentford, Manchester City and Birmingham City, serving each club (bar Manchester City) as interim first team manager.

In the second-tier, Carsley was encouraged to play a more advanced midfield role by manager Brian Kidd and showed the best goalscoring form of his career, topping the club's chart with 11 goals, though Rovers could finish no better than 11th.

Carsley recalled in 2013 that he enjoyed working under Brian Kidd and living in the town.

Carsley joined the England youth setup as a specialist coach in 2015, before being appointed head coach of England U20 in 2020 and then being promoted to England U21 in 2021 and leading them to victory in the European Championship in 2023.