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Thomas Christopher Ince (born 30 January 1992) is an English professional
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
who plays as an
attacking midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...
,
left winger In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...
or forward for club
Watford Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a smal ...
. The son of former
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
midfielder
Paul Ince Paul Emerson Carlyle Ince (; born 21 October 1967) is an English professional football manager and former player who was most recently manager of Reading. A midfielder, Ince played professionally from 1986 to 2007, starting his career with West ...
, Tom Ince began his career with
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
, for whom he made his professional debut in the 2010–11 season, coming on as a substitute in the League Cup. He later spent time that season on loan at League One club
Notts County Notts County Football Club is a professional association football, football club in Nottingham, England, which competes in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of Football in England, English football, following promotion and relegation, promotion ...
, scoring twice in eight appearances. At the end of the season, Ince turned down a new contract and moved to
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...
, who had just been relegated from the Premier League. In two and a half seasons at Blackpool, Ince played 113 games in all competitions and scored 33 goals. He also won the 2013 Football League Young Player of the Year Award and was named in the 2012–13
PFA Team of the Year The Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year (often called the PFA Team of the Year, or simply the Team of the Year) is an annual award given to a set of 55 footballers across the top four tiers of men's Football in England, En ...
. In January 2014, he signed on loan for Premier League club
Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition buildin ...
, for whom he scored his first Premier League goal, and returned to the division permanently at the end of the season, joining
Hull City Hull City Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. They compete in the , the second level of the English football league system. They play their home ...
on a free transfer. Ince did not feature regularly for Hull in the 2014–15 season, spending time on loan at the end of 2014 with
Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Founde ...
before returning briefly to Hull. A loan spell at the end of the season with Derby County was a success, with Ince scoring 11 goals in 18 appearances. At the end of the season, he joined Derby for a fee of £4.75 million, briefly becoming the club's most-expensive signing. Ince spent the 2017–18 season with
Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. They compete in , the third tier of English football league system, English football. Huddersfield Town we ...
before joining
Stoke City Stoke City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, the cl ...
in July 2018 for a fee of £10million. Ince spent four seasons with Stoke before joining
Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...
in the summer of 2022. Ince has been capped internationally for England at under-17, under-19 and under-21 levels.


Early and personal life

Ince was born in
Stockport Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England, south-east of Manchester, south-west of Ashton-under-Lyne and north of Macclesfield. The River Goyt, Rivers Goyt and River Tame, Greater Manchester, Tame merge to create the River Mersey he ...
, Greater Manchester. His father
Paul Paul may refer to: People * Paul (given name), a given name, including a list of people * Paul (surname), a list of people * Paul the Apostle, an apostle who wrote many of the books of the New Testament * Ray Hildebrand, half of the singing duo ...
played professional football at a high level with England,
Inter Milan Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football ...
,
Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
and
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
. When Ince was three years old he moved to Italy after Paul had signed for Inter Milan where he attended an Italian school and became fluent in Italian, the family spent two years in Italy before returning to England. He became a father on 11 July 2013.


Club career


Liverpool

Ince signed for
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
as a youth player in 2008 and was handed a first-team squad number (number 45) at the start of the 2010–11 season. On 29 July 2010, he was an unused substitute for the first time in Liverpool's
UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
qualifier against
FK Rabotnički FK Rabotnichki () or more commonly Rabotnički (old transliteration) and Rabotnicki is a professional football (soccer), football club that plays at the Toše Proeski Arena, Toshe Proeski Arena in Skopje, North Macedonia. They currently compete in ...
. He made his debut for Liverpool on 22 September 2010 as a 106th-minute substitute for Daniel Pacheco in the club's third round League Cup defeat to
Northampton Town Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 1897, the c ...
at
Anfield Anfield is a Association football, football stadium in the area of Anfield (suburb), Anfield, Liverpool, England, which has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since its formation in 1892. The stadium has a seating capacity of 61,276, making it the ...
. On 1 November 2010, Ince linked up with his father
Paul Ince Paul Emerson Carlyle Ince (; born 21 October 1967) is an English professional football manager and former player who was most recently manager of Reading. A midfielder, Ince played professionally from 1986 to 2007, starting his career with West ...
, who was the manager of League One club
Notts County Notts County Football Club is a professional association football, football club in Nottingham, England, which competes in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of Football in England, English football, following promotion and relegation, promotion ...
, signing a short-term loan deal from Liverpool until January 2011. He signed on loan alongside 22-year-old right back Stephen Darby. Ince made his County debut on 6 November in the 2–0
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
first round victory against
Gateshead Gateshead () is a town in the Gateshead Metropolitan Borough of Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank. The town's attractions include the twenty metre tall Angel of the North sculpture on the town's southern outskirts, ...
. On 13 November, he made his league debut in the 3–1 away loss to
Exeter City Exeter City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Exeter, Devon, England. The team play in , the third level of the English football league system. Known as "the Grecians", the origin of their nickname is subject to ...
. On 11 December, Ince scored his first career goal, in County's 2–0 league win against
Milton Keynes Dons Milton Keynes Dons Football Club, usually abbreviated to MK Dons, is a professional association football club based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the English football leag ...
. At the end of December 2010, Ince said that joining his father at Notts County had benefited him as he had "got a bit lost" at Liverpool, who had tried to change his style of play. He found that his father "wanted me to be the player that I was" and that the move had "given me a fresher life". Ince scored for County for a second time on 3 January 2011 in a 3–0 win against
Hartlepool United Hartlepool United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system. They were founded in 190 ...
before his loan expired on 10 January and he returned to Liverpool. Despite his father's repeated attempts to re-sign his son on loan, Liverpool refused. Ince's contract expired at the end of the 2010–11 season and they would not let Ince go back out on loan unless he signed a new long-term contract. Ince's father described the contract offer as "derisory" and called Liverpool "silly" for refusing to let Ince re-join his club on loan. Ultimately, Ince declined to sign a new contract with Liverpool and so he left the club on a free transfer at the end of the season.


Blackpool

On 3 August 2011, Ince signed a two-year contract with
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...
, with an option for a third. As Ince was under 24 years of age and had been offered a new contract by his previous club, a compensation deal had to be agreed. Liverpool and Blackpool agreed an undisclosed fee and a sell-on clause which entitled Liverpool to 35% of any fee that Blackpool later received for selling Ince. As Blackpool had been relegated from the
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
at the end of the 2010–11 season, Ince thus dropped down to the Championship to join the club, who were managed by
Ian Holloway Ian Scott Holloway (born 12 March 1963) is an English professional football manager, former player, media personality and television pundit who is the manager of club Swindon Town. A midfielder, he notably played in the Premier League with ...
. He made his Blackpool debut in the League Cup defeat to
Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an off ...
on 11 August 2011. He scored his first goals for Blackpool with both in a 2–1 win over
Doncaster Rovers Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system after winning the 202 ...
on 18 October 2011. On 25 February 2012 he scored another brace in a 3–1 away win against
Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England. The team compete in the , the second level of the English football league system. Founded in 1894, the club competed in the Southern League and Western L ...
. In the Championship play-off final at
Wembley Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in the London Borou ...
on 19 May 2012, he scored an equaliser against
West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...
but Blackpool lost the match 2–1. The first League game of Blackpool's 2012–13 season, on 18 August 2012, saw Ince score the only goals of the game in a 2–0 win at
Millwall Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Poplar, north of Greenwich and Deptford, east of ...
. Following the game, manager Ian Holloway revealed that Blackpool had received an offer from an unknown club, but that Ince had committed his future to ''the Seasiders'' after talking to his father. Holloway stated, "There was interest in Tom last week. No one has heard about it but I'll share it with you. His dad wants him to stay with us." On 7 August, he scored twice in a 6–0 win against
Ipswich Town Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. The club currently competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. Ipswich Town were founded in 1878 but did not turn ...
. In September, he scored in back-to-back games against
Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It is the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. The town's population was 71,422 in 2021, while the wider boroug ...
and
Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...
. He scored his tenth goal of the season on 3 November, completing a run of scoring in four successive games. The previous day, Holloway left Blackpool to become the new manager of
Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition buildin ...
.
Michael Appleton Michael Antony Appleton (born 4 December 1975) is an English professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of EFL League Two club Shrewsbury Town. As a player, he operated as a midfielder, in a nine-year career that ...
was appointed to replace him. In December 2012, it was reported that Ince's form was attracting the attention of his former club Liverpool, who were preparing a bid of £4 million in the January transfer window. In January, Liverpool entered into negotiations with Blackpool, but ''The Seasiders asking price of £8.5 million proved too much for Liverpool after they had already signed Daniel Sturridge and paid off
Joe Cole Joseph John Cole (born 8 November 1981) is an English football coach and former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder or winger. He was long touted as a child prodigy and as the hottest prospect in English football, wi ...
's contract so they withdrew from talks. Reading made a late bid to sign him, offering a fee just below Blackpool's £8m valuation the transfer window closed with Ince still at Blackpool. On 11 January 2013, Appleton resigned to become manager of
Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...
. He was replaced by Ince's father Paul. At the 2013 Football League Awards on 24 March, Ince won the award for The Football League Young Player of the Year. In April 2013, after
Wilfried Zaha Dazet Wilfried Armel Zaha (born 10 November 1992) is a professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football)#Winger, winger for Major League Soccer club Charlotte FC, Charlotte, on loan from Süper Lig club ...
had moved from Crystal Palace to
Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
for £15 million, and with Ince the fifth-top scorer in the Championship on 18 goals, Ince's father commented that Tom should be valued at £25 million. On 30 June 2013, Blackpool accepted what was believed to be an £8 million offer from
Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It currently competes in , the third tier of the English football league system in the 2025–26 season following relegation. Founded in 1899 a ...
. It was reported that
Swansea City Swansea City Association Football Club ( ; ) is a Welsh professional football club based in Swansea, Wales. It competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Swansea have played their home matches at ...
were also interested in signing Ince, but were put off by the asking price. Despite agreeing personal terms and passing a medical with Cardiff City, Ince turned down the move on 12 July to stay in
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...
with his newborn child. Aston Villa and Everton were subsequently linked with him, but Ince chose to remain at Blackpool. In his first ten league games of the 2013–14 season, Ince scored six goals as the team moved into fourth place in The Championship. However, he then went on a lean streak and scored just one goal in his next thirteen league matches, the equaliser in a 1–1 draw against Leeds United on 26 December 2013. In that month, Blackpool offered him a new contract, but chairman
Karl Oyston Karl Samuel Oyston (born 20 February 1968) is an English businessman and the former chairman of Blackpool Football Club. Oyston took over the chairmanship at Blackpool from his mother, Vicki Oyston, in 1999. Mrs Oyston had taken over three year ...
expected that Ince would leave. On 18 January 2014, he played 90 minutes in a 2–0 away defeat at Barnsley. It was his last game for Blackpool. During his time at the club, Ince made 113 appearances, scoring 33 goals. Three days later, his father was sacked as manager. With negotiations undergoing for Ince's transfer away from Blackpool, he was left out of the squad for their matches against Doncaster on 25 January and Reading on 28 January.


Loan to Crystal Palace

In the January 2014 transfer window, numerous clubs approached Blackpool to enquire about signing Ince, who held talks with Everton, Cardiff, Newcastle, Hull City, Sunderland, Stoke City, Swansea City, Tottenham Hotspur, Crystal Palace and his former club Liverpool again. However, Ince once again spurned Liverpool's advances, believing that he was not ready to move to a club of their size. European clubs
Ajax Ajax may refer to: Greek mythology and tragedy * Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea * Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris * Ajax (play), ''Ajax'' (play), by the an ...
,
Inter Milan Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football ...
and
Paris Saint-Germain Paris Saint-Germain Football Club, commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain () or simply PSG, is a French professional Association football, football club based in Paris. They compete in Ligue 1, the French football league system, top d ...
also revealed their interest and French club Monaco were reported to be leading the race to sign Ince on a free transfer in the Summer. Ince and his father Paul met with representatives from Monaco in London on 16 January, just two days before Blackpool's 2–0 defeat to Barnsley, which was believed to be one of the reasons for his father being sacked as Blackpool manager. His father's departure was reported to be likely to accelerate Ince's departure from Blackpool, with a domestic loan deal considered most likely as it would allow him the freedom of choice in the summer when his Blackpool contract had expired. A loan move to Crystal Palace, Stoke City, Swansea, Sunderland or Hull City was considered most likely, with the deal coming down to the size of the loan fee and what percentage of his wages was paid by the club loaning him out. On 30 January 2014, Ince signed for Premier League club Crystal Palace on loan for the remainder of the 2013–14 season for a loan fee of £1 million. Ince made his debut on 8 February 2014, playing 90 minutes and scoring the first of three goals for Crystal Palace on the day, in a 3–1 win against
West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club (), commonly known as West Brom or The Albion, is a professional association football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the Englis ...
. Ince started the next two matches, a 2–0 defeat to Manchester United on 22 February and a 0–0 draw with Swansea City on 2 March, then came off the bench in a 1–0 defeat to Southampton on 8 March. He started against Sunderland on 15 March, a match that also ended 0–0, and then did not make another appearance for over a month. He was an unused substitute for the next six Premier League matches, as manager
Tony Pulis Anthony Richard Pulis (; born 16 January 1958) is a Welsh former professional football manager and former footballer who last managed Sheffield Wednesday. Pulis obtained his FA coaching badge at age 19, followed by his UEFA 'A' licence aged 2 ...
preferred to play
Yannick Bolasie Yannick Bolasie (born 24 May 1989) is a professional association football, footballer who plays as a winger (association football), winger for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, Cruzeiro. He has played in Football in En ...
and Jason Puncheon on the wings. He came off the bench in a 2–0 defeat to Manchester City on 27 April and in a 3–3 draw against Liverpool on 5 May before starting the final game of the season, a 2–2 draw with Fulham on 11 May.


Hull City

With his contract expiring at Blackpool and Ince unwilling to take up the option of a third year, clubs began to show an interest in signing him. Crystal Palace,
Hull City Hull City Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. They compete in the , the second level of the English football league system. They play their home ...
,
Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...
,
Stoke City Stoke City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, the cl ...
,
Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...
and Swansea City from the Premier League and European clubs
Monaco Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...
,
Olympiacos Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós (, Olympic Association of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number of different competitive departments which participate in football, ...
and Inter Milan all expressed a desire to sign him. He spent several days in Monaco and then Milan discussing a move but ultimately turned both Monaco and Inter Milan down. He said that "after lengthy discussions with my family I have decided that my immediate future in the game lies in the Premier League" although he "still had ambitions to one day play in Europe". In September 2015, he would go into more detail, saying that although there was "nothing better" than the lifestyle in Monaco, he "felt the league itself and the question 'would I get lost over there?' especially being English, put me off a little." Likewise, although the history and memories from his father's time at Inter Milan were attractive, the club was in a transitional period – "they weren't trying to challenge up at the top again, and it was a rebuilding process. Being a young lad, I didn't want any of that, I wanted to get in the Premier League." After his contract expired at Blackpool, Ince transferred to Hull City on a free transfer in July 2014 and signed a two-year contract, with an agreement over compensation not initially made. After much negotiation, and with a decision by an independent tribunal looming, Hull and Blackpool settled in January 2015 on a figure of £1.6 million, rising to £2.3 million, dependent on appearances and if Hull avoided relegation. Due to the earlier sell-on clause Liverpool had negotiated with Blackpool, Liverpool received £560,000. Ince came on as a substitute in both legs of Hull's Europa League third qualifying round tie against Slovakian club
AS Trenčín AS Trenčín () is a Slovak sports club in the town of Trenčín, most known for its football department. The first team currently plays in the Slovak First Football League after winning the 2010–11 Slovak First League. The club plays its hom ...
before making his league debut for the club on 16 August, playing 82 minutes of a 1–0 win away at Queens Park Rangers. He also came off the bench in both legs of the Europa League play-off round against Belgian side Sporting Lokeren; sandwiched between those matches, he started in a 1–1 draw against Stoke City on 24 August. He started again for the club in a 2–1 defeat to Aston Villa on 31 August, though he was withdrawn after 57 minutes. He went a month before appearing again for the club, playing 90 minutes and scoring in a 3–2 defeat to West Bromwich Albion on 24 September. He later said that manager Steve Bruce's change in tactics, to a more defensive approach, left him sidelined. On 30 October 2014, having played in only three of Hull's nine league matches of the season thus far, Ince signed on loan with Championship side
Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Founde ...
until 28 December. He made his debut the following day, playing the full 90 minutes as Nottingham Forest lost 3–0 to Huddersfield Town. Of the next seven matches, Ince made three starts and two substitute appearances before being recalled early by his parent club. Ince was recalled to Hull on 22 December 2014, along with Maynor Figueroa from
Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, they have p ...
. He went straight back into the team, coming on as a late substitute in Hull's 3–1 win at Sunderland on Boxing Day. He came off the bench two days later in a 1–0 defeat to Leicester and then started against Arsenal in the FA Cup on 4 January, a match Hull lost 2–0. He came on in the 39th minute of Hull's 1–0 defeat away to West Bromwich Albion on 10 January and then went three weeks before playing again, coming off the bench in a 3–0 defeat to Newcastle on 31 January. That was to be his final appearance for ''The Tigers''.


Derby County

On 2 February 2015, Ince joined
Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...
club
Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club in Derby, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. One of the 12 founder members of the English Football ...
on loan until the end of the season. Derby manager
Steve McClaren Stephen McClaren (born 3 May 1961) is an English football coach and former player who is currently the manager of the Jamaica national team. McClaren began his coaching career with Oxford United, before joining Derby County in 1995. In 1999 ...
said that signing a player of Ince's calibre was a "real coup" and that he was confident Ince would make an impact for ''The Rams''. Five days later, Ince scored twice on his debut for Derby in a 4–1 win against Bolton Wanderers: a "superb" free kick into the top-left corner of
Andy Lonergan Andrew Michael Lonergan (born 19 October 1983) is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper. Lonergan is a former England U21 international and is also eligible to play for the Republic of Ireland. After starting his career a ...
's goal in the 39th minute and a "thunderous" shot from 12 yards in the 47th minute. He nearly bagged a hattrick, hitting the post in second-half stoppage time. Ince scored three more goals in his next two games: an emphatic finish in a 2–2 draw against Bournemouth on 10 February; and another brace in a 3–3 draw away to Rotherham United on 17 February, a fine curling finish into the top-right corner after jinking past several players and turning in a Craig Forsyth cross at the near post. After scoring five goals in three matches, Ince declared himself "settled" at Derby, saying that he had "really found my feet and I'm feeling confident". The next four games saw more good performances for Ince but no goals: he hit the post, had a free kick "brilliantly" saved by Sheffield Wednesday keeper Keiren Westwood, narrowly curled an effort wide and won a penalty in a 3–2 win against Wednesday on 21 February; was a "constant threat" and placed a shot just wide in a 2–0 win against
Charlton Athletic Charlton Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Charlton, south-east London, England. The team compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Their home ground is ...
on 24 February; was twice denied by deflections late in the second half of a 2–0 defeat to
Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...
on 28 February; and missed several chances in a 2–0 defeat to
Brighton & Hove Albion Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club, commonly referred to as Brighton, is a professional football club based in Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Their home gr ...
on 3 March that saw Derby register 19 attempts at goal. Ince put Derby 2–0 up against
Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. The team compete in the ...
on 7 March, slipping through two defenders and shooting low under Birmingham keeper Darren Randolph, though two late goals for ''The Blues'' saw them rescue a point, with the first coming from the penalty spot after Ince hauled down
Robert Tesche Robert Tesche (born 27 May 1987) is a German professional association football, footballer who plays as a midfielder for club VfL Osnabrück. Tesche played for Arminia Bielefeld, Hamburger SV and Fortuna Düsseldorf before moving to England in ...
. He only scored once in his next six games, this in a 2–2 draw at home to Watford on 3 April, before scoring four goals in his next three. The first was the second goal in a 4–0 rout of Blackpool on 14 April, a brace followed in a 4–4 draw against Huddersfield Town on 18 April and the last came in a 3–3 draw against Millwall on 25 April. He thus finished his spell at Derby with 11 goals in 18 matches. Of the 8 matches in which he scored, 6 of them finished in draws. On 3 July 2015, Derby County signed Ince on a four-year contract for £4.75 million, with Ince briefly becoming the club's most-expensive signing. His record was surpassed less than one month later as the club bought midfielder
Bradley Johnson Bradley Paul Johnson (born 28 April 1987) is an English former professional Association football, footballer who played as a central midfielder. Johnson in a 20-year senior career played for Waltham Forest F.C., Waltham Forest, Cambridge Unite ...
from
Norwich City Norwich City Football Club is a professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was founded in 1902. Since 1935, Norwich have played their h ...
for £6 million. The sale of Ince was reported to have left Hull manager
Steve Bruce Stephen Roger Bruce (born 31 December 1960) is an English professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Association football, player who was a centre-back in a twenty-year playing career. He is currently the head coa ...
livid, with Bruce saying that he "wouldn't have sold Tom and I did all I could to keep him... we shouldn't be selling our top young players when trying to put together a team to challenge for an immediate return to the Premier League. I saw Tom as an integral part of my plans. But Derby met the buy-out clause and then it was the choice of others t Hullto let him leave." Ince started all of Derby's first eight league matches, also coming on as a substitute in the club's 2–1 League Cup defeat to Portsmouth on 12 August. His first goal arrived on 15 September, the only goal against Reading at the
Madejski Stadium The Madejski Stadium (), currently known as the Select Car Leasing Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Reading, Berkshire, England. It is the home of Reading Football Club, who play in EFL League One. It also provides the ...
. He missed the next match, a 0–0 draw at home to Burnley on 21 September, with a minor training ground injury. On his return to the starting XI away to newly promoted Milton Keynes Dons on 26 September, Ince provided a 90th minute assist for
Darren Bent Darren Ashley Bent (born 6 February 1984) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker and is currently a radio presenter for talkSPORT. He played in the Premier League and Championship for nine clubs, and at senior int ...
and scored in the 96th minute to seal a 3–1 win for ''The Rams''. Ince made it three goals in three games on 3 October, grabbing the second in a 2–0 win against Brentford. He started the next three League matches, against Wolves on 18 October, Blackburn Rovers on 21 October and against Huddersfield Town on 24 October but was taken off in the 26th minute of the latter match. He had injured his ankle but it was not as bad as first feared and although he missed the next two League matches against Rotherham United and QPR, he returned to the team for the East Midlands derby against his former club Nottingham Forest on 6 November. On 15 December, Ince scored his first professional hat-trick in a 4–0 win against Bristol City. The first was a low finish past City keeper Frank Fielding in the 42nd minute after a mazy run through three defenders; then he intercepted the ball inside his own half and ran through on goal before firing a shot under Fielding in the 63rd minute; his third in the 71st minute was drilled into the bottom corner after a combination with Darren Bent. The result moved Derby up to third in the table and manager
Paul Clement Paul Drew Clement (born June 24, 1966) is an American attorney who served as United States Solicitor General, U.S. Solicitor General from 2005 to 2008 and is known for his advocacy before the Supreme Court of the United States, U.S. Supreme Cou ...
praised Ince, saying that "he's been a little bit inconsistent by his standards so far this season so it was a very good performance from him and will be brilliant for his confidence." Ince scored again in the next match, the only goal in a 1–0 win at home to Ipswich Town on 19 December. His man-of-the-match performance also saw him provide three good chances, for teammates Bradley Johnson,
Chris Martin Christopher Anthony John Martin (born 2 March 1977) is an English singer, songwriter, musician and producer. He is best known as the vocalist, pianist and co-founder of the rock band Coldplay. Born in Exeter, Martin went to University Colleg ...
and Johnny Russell, as well as have a 25-yard free-kick saved by Ipswich goalie
Dean Gerken Dean Jeffery Gerken (born 22 May 1985) is an English professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is currently goalkeeping coach at Bath City. He started his career as a youth player at Southend United. He has previously played for C ...
. He missed two good opportunities in the next match, a 2–0 win over Fulham on
Boxing Day Boxing Day, also called as Offering Day is a holiday celebrated after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide (26 December). Boxing Day was once a day to donate gifts to those in need, but it has evolved to become a part ...
, but atoned against fierce rivals Leeds United on 29 December. He came on in the 76th minute with Derby 2–1 down, scoring a "brilliant" equaliser just two minutes later, drilling a "fine finish" into the bottom corner. Ince then endured a difficult spell, not scoring in his next twelve league and cup appearances. After the first seven appearances, during which Derby lost five times, drew twice, only scored three goals and sacked manager Paul Clement, he lost his place in the starting line-up. This coincided with a return to form for the team, who won two of their next three matches, with Ince making second-half substitute appearances. He was restored to the starting eleven on 5 March for a 2–0 win against Huddersfield Town and ended his barren spell two matches later on 12 March, scoring a brace either side of a Chris Martin goal to give ''The Rams'' a 3–0 lead against Rotherham United. However, three late Rotherham goals saw the away side rescue a point. Ince rounded out the season with two more goals: the second in a 4–1 thrashing of Bolton Wanderers on 9 April and the 57th-minute winner in a 3–2 victory at Bristol City on 19 April. Derby finished the season in fifth place and played fourth-placed Hull City in the play-off semi-finals, losing 3–0 at home and winning 2–0 away to go out 3–2 on aggregate to the eventual play-off final winners. Ince did not score his first goal of the 2016–17 season until 27 September, the first in a 2–0 win at Cardiff City. In November, he scored four goals in back-to-back games: braces each in a 3–2 win at Wolves on 5 November and in a 3–0 win over Rotherham on 19 November. Ince ended the 2016–17 season as top scorer with 15 goals as the Rams finished in 9th position.


Huddersfield Town

On 4 July 2017, Ince signed for newly promoted Premier League club
Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. They compete in , the third tier of English football league system, English football. Huddersfield Town we ...
on an initial three-year contract for an undisclosed fee. He scored his first goal with the club in the Premier League on 26 December during a 1–1 draw with Stoke City. Ince played 37 times in 2017–18 season helping the Terriers avoid relegation, finishing in 16th position.


Stoke City

Ince signed for newly relegated Championship club Stoke City on 24 July 2018 on a four-year contract for an initial fee of £10 million, which could rise to £12 million with add-ons. He made his Stoke debut on 5 August 2018 against
Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
. Ince played 41 times for Stoke in 2018–19, scoring six goals as the Potters finished in a mid-table position of 16th. Stoke and Ince began the 2019–20 season in poor form as the team struggled under the management of Nathan Jones. Despite a change of manager, Ince continued to struggle to have an impact on the team and came in for heavy criticism after an anonymous performance against
Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, they have p ...
30 June 2020 where he completed just one pass in 57 minutes. He scored in the next match a 4–0 win against Barnsley. He ended the campaign with three goals from 40 appearances as Stoke avoided relegation and finished in 15th position. On 1 February 2021, Ince joined
Luton Town Luton Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club from Luton, Bedfordshire, England. The club currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Nicknamed "The Hatters", L ...
on loan for the remainder of the 2020–21 season. Five days later, he made his debut for the Hatters as a substitute for Harry Cornick in a 1–1 home league draw against
Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. They compete in , the third tier of English football league system, English football. Huddersfield Town we ...
. Ince made seven appearances for the Hatters before he suffered an ankle ligament injury. On 31 January 2022, Ince joined
Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...
on loan for the remainder of the 2021–22 season. Ince played 15 times for the Royals, scoring twice against
Bournemouth Bournemouth ( ) is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. At the 2021 census, the built-up area had a population of 196,455, making it the largest ...
and
Swansea City Swansea City Association Football Club ( ; ) is a Welsh professional football club based in Swansea, Wales. It competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Swansea have played their home matches at ...
. Ince was released by Stoke City at the end of the 2021–22 season.


Reading

On 21 June 2022, Ince signed a three-year contract with
Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...
, which his father Paul had become manager of in the close season. On 25 February 2023, Ince scored a brace against his former club
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...
in a 3–1 home win.


Watford

On 27 June 2023, after their relegation to League One, Reading confirmed Ince's departure to
Watford Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a smal ...
for an undisclosed fee thought to be £50,000. On 13 August 2024, Ince provided a hat-trick and an assist in a 5–0 win against MK Dons in the
EFL Cup The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England. Orga ...
.


International career

Ince made four appearances for England Under-17s in 2009 and another four for the Under 19s in 2011. On 29 August 2012 he was called up to the Under 21 squad by manager
Stuart Pearce Stuart Pearce (born 24 April 1962) is an English professional football manager and former player, who was most recently a first-team coach for Premier League club West Ham United. He was nicknamed "Psycho" for his unforgiving style of play. ...
for the European Championship qualifying games against
Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...
on 1 September and
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
four days later. He made his under-21 debut in the 2–0 win over Azerbaijan at
Dalga Arena Dalga Arena () also known as Liv Bona Dea Arena for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-use stadium in Mardakan settlement of Baku, Azerbaijan. It is currently used mostly for football (soccer), football matches. The stadium holds 6,500 people and ...
,
Baku Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...
. On 5 February 2013, he scored his first goals for the under-21 side, scoring twice in a 4–0 win against
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
in
Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located ...
. In March 2015, he ruled himself out of selection for future under-21 squads. This caused a great deal of controversy, which shocked Ince.


Style of play

Ince is left-footed and began his career as a
left winger In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...
. However, when he joined Blackpool, he was often deployed on the right, either as a winger or an
inside forward In the sport of association football, a forward (attacker or striker) is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position which primarily plays further up the pitch than Midfielder, midfielders and Defender (association football), d ...
, cutting in on his favoured left foot. He has also played more centrally as an
attacking midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...
or forward. Ince's main attributes are his pace, acceleration and skill on the ball. He has said that he enjoys "exciting people, scoring goals, creating goals" and is "not one of those old fashioned wingers who just gets crosses in, I like to create things, show bits of magic."


Career statistics


Honours

Individual *
PFA Team of the Year The Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year (often called the PFA Team of the Year, or simply the Team of the Year) is an annual award given to a set of 55 footballers across the top four tiers of men's Football in England, En ...
: 2012–13 Championship * Football League Young Player of the Year: 2012–13 * Football League Championship Player of the Month: August 2012, April 2015


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ince, Tom 1992 births Living people English people of Barbadian descent Sportspeople of Barbadian descent English people of Trinidad and Tobago descent Black British sportsmen Footballers from Stockport English men's footballers Men's association football wingers Liverpool F.C. players Notts County F.C. players Blackpool F.C. players Crystal Palace F.C. players Hull City A.F.C. players Nottingham Forest F.C. players Derby County F.C. players Huddersfield Town A.F.C. players Stoke City F.C. players Luton Town F.C. players Reading F.C. players English Football League players Premier League players England men's youth international footballers England men's under-21 international footballers Watford F.C. players 21st-century English sportsmen