Luke Freeman
Luke Anthony Freeman is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger.
Freeman joined Charlton Athletic's youth system before moving to Gillingham at the age of 11. He made his first-team debut for Gillingham aged 15, becoming the youngest player to appear in the FA Cup. In January 2008, he signed for Arsenal and subsequently gained first-team experience on loan at League One clubs Yeovil Town and Stevenage, joining the latter permanently in January 2012. He scored 17 goals across three seasons at Stevenage and was named the club's Player of the Year for the 2013–14 season. Freeman signed for Bristol City in June 2014, helping the club win the Football League Trophy and the League One title in his first season.
He joined Championship club Queens Park Rangers in January 2017, scoring 15 goals in 121 appearances and earning the club's Player of the Year award for 2018–19. In July 2019, Freeman moved to Premier League club Sheffield United for a club-record fee, playing a peripheral role, and later spent time on loan at Nottingham Forest and Millwall. He joined Luton Town in July 2022, contributing to their promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs, and spent the 2023–24 season at Barnet. Internationally, Freeman has represented England at under-16 and under-17 level.
Early life
Born in Dartford, Kent, Freeman grew up in East London. His family relocated to Gravesend, Kent, where Freeman attended St John's Secondary School.Club career
Early career
Freeman joined Charlton Athletic's academy in 2001 after being scouted playing Sunday league youth football. He spent two years at Charlton before being released for "being too small". Freeman joined Gillingham at the age of 11. He made his first-team debut for Gillingham in an FA Cup tie against Barnet on 10 November 2007, aged 15 years and 233 days, replacing Efe Sodje as an 80th-minute substitute. His debut set two records: he became both Gillingham's youngest-ever first-team player and the youngest player to appear in the FA Cup, surpassing records previously held by Billy Hughes and Lee Holmes respectively. Three days later, he featured in Gillingham's 4–0 home victory against Dagenham & Redbridge in the Football League Trophy, coming on as a 74th-minute substitute. He made his first league appearance on 24 November 2007, again as a substitute, in a 2–1 victory against Hartlepool United, becoming Gillingham's youngest league debutant. After three senior appearances, Freeman trialled with Arsenal, Newcastle United, and West Ham United in December 2007, with all three clubs expressing interest in signing him.Arsenal
Freeman joined Premier League club Arsenal on 30 January 2008, for a fee reported to be in the region of £200,000. He signed a two-year contract as part of Arsenal's youth academy under the club's scholar scheme. Upon his arrival, Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger described the player as "a very interesting prospect". During the 2008–09 season, he scored seven goals in 15 appearances for the under-18 team, as well as making one substitute appearance for the reserve team. Freeman signed his first professional contract with Arsenal on 8 April 2009. The following season, he scored 16 goals in 24 appearances, including two goals in the Academy League final, a 5–3 victory against Nottingham Forest. He also scored one goal in 11 reserve team appearances, most of which came during the latter stages of the season.Ahead of the 2010–11 season, Freeman joined League One club Yeovil Town on a loan agreement until 31 December 2010. On joining the club, Freeman stated that he was now "getting to an age" where he wanted first-team experience, and that he hoped the loan move would help him break into Arsenal's senior team by the end of the season. He scored on his debut against Leyton Orient on 7 August 2010, the winning goal in first-half stoppage time in a 2–1 victory. Freeman made 15 appearances and scored twice during the first half of the 2010–11 season. His loan spell was curtailed due to injury, and he returned to Arsenal in November 2010. After regaining fitness, Freeman featured regularly for the reserve team, scoring four goals over the course of the season. He signed a new contract with Arsenal in April 2011.
Stevenage
Freeman joined League One club Stevenage on loan from 17 November 2011 to 8 January 2012, with an option to extend the agreement. He made his debut two days later, playing 86 minutes in a 0–0 away draw with Leyton Orient. Freeman scored his first goal for the club in a 6–1 away victory over Colchester United on 26 December, coming on as a 57th-minute substitute and scoring Stevenage's fifth goal with a "powerful close-range strike". He signed for Stevenage on a permanent basis on 10 January 2012 for an undisclosed fee and on a contract until 2014. On signing for Stevenage, Freeman stated: "There were a couple of bids elsewhere, but I really enjoyed my time on loan here, so I am delighted to stay. Now it's time to build a career for myself, it's time to move on and try and make myself a better player". His first appearance after signing permanently came in a 5–1 away victory at Rochdale, in which he scored twice. He made 32 appearances during the season, scoring seven times, as Stevenage reached the League One play-off semi-finals.Freeman struggled for consistency during the 2012–13 season and was regularly used as a substitute. He made 43 appearances in all competitions, scoring two goals. Freeman remained at Stevenage for the 2013–14 season and scored his first goal in Stevenage's 2–1 extra-time defeat to Premier League club Everton in the League Cup on 28 August 2013. In December 2013, Stevenage confirmed that Freeman had been the subject of transfer interest from Championship clubs ahead of the 2014 January transfer window and stated that they would be willing to listen to offers. No transfer materialised, and Freeman ultimately saw out the season at the club. A "stunning brace" in a 3–2 comeback victory away at Bradford City on 1 March 2014 marked his first goals in nearly four months. He ended the season by scoring three goals in the final five league matches in April 2014. Freeman made 54 appearances and scored eight goals during the season, as Stevenage were relegated to League Two. He was voted Stevenage's Player of the Year at the club's end-of-season awards. With Freeman's contract due to expire in June, Stevenage exercised a 12-month extension clause to retain him.
Bristol City
Despite Stevenage activating the 12-month clause in Freeman's contract, he signed for League One club Bristol City on 26 June 2014, joining for a six-figure fee on a three-year contract. Freeman made his debut for the club on the opening day of the 2014–15 season, playing the first 77 minutes in a 2–1 away victory at Sheffield United, and scored his first goal in a 1–1 draw with Rochdale on 23 August 2014. Freeman scored three times across five matches between February and March 2015, with all three goals coming in away victories against Doncaster Rovers, Leyton Orient and Yeovil Town respectively. During the season, Freeman also made five appearances in the Football League Trophy, including a starting appearance in the final, a 2–0 victory against Walsall at Wembley Stadium on 22 March 2015. All seven of Freeman's goals that season came in away matches, playing 56 times in all competitions as Bristol City earned promotion to the Championship, finishing the season as champions by an eight-point margin.Freeman started in Bristol City's first match back in the Championship at the start of the 2015–16 season, playing the full 90 minutes in a 2–0 defeat away to Sheffield Wednesday. A week later, on 15 August 2015, he received the first red card of his career for a high-footed challenge on Harlee Dean in a 4–2 home defeat to Brentford at Ashton Gate. After serving a three-match suspension, Freeman returned to the first team in September 2015, scoring later that month in a 2–2 away draw against Ipswich Town with his effort deflecting off Tommy Smith. It proved to be Freeman's only goal of the season, making 44 appearances in all competitions as Bristol City consolidated their place back in the Championship.
Freeman began the 2016–17 season at Bristol City in the final year of his three-year contract and was a regular starter during the first half of the season. He scored his only goal of the season in Bristol City's 4–0 victory against Fulham at Craven Cottage on 24 September 2016. Manager Lee Johnson stated he was resigned to losing Freeman in the January transfer window after the player rejected a new contract offer. A year after his departure from Bristol City, Freeman claimed the club had not been forthcoming with a suitable deal: "I was waiting over eight months for a contract that was so-called going to be offered to me. When they did it was really nowhere near what anyone else was on. So it was out of my hands. I probably wouldn't have left if they had offered me the contract they said they were going to offer me earlier". Freeman made 121 appearances and scored 10 goals during his two and a half years at the club.