Benjamin David Sheaf (born 5 February 1998) is an English footballer who plays as a midfielder for Coventry City. He has represented England at youth level.
![]() Sheaf with Arsenal U21 in 2015 | |||
Personal information | |||
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Full name | Benjamin David Sheaf[1] | ||
Date of birth | (1998-02-05) 5 February 1998 (age 24)[2] | ||
Place of birth | Dartford, Kent, England[3] | ||
Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[2] | ||
Position(s) | Midfielder[2] | ||
Club information | |||
Current team | Coventry City | ||
Number | 14 | ||
Youth career | |||
2011–2014 | West Ham United | ||
2014–2017 | Arsenal | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2017–2021 | Arsenal | 0 | (0) |
2018 | → Stevenage (loan) | 10 | (0) |
2019–2020 | → Doncaster Rovers (loan) | 32 | (1) |
2020–2021 | → Coventry City (loan) | 30 | (0) |
2021– | Coventry City | 53 | (2) |
National team | |||
2013–2014 | England U16 | ||
2015 | England U18 | 2 | (1) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 00:21, 16 November 2022 (UTC) |
Sheaf started his youth career with the reserves of West Ham United at the age of 13,[4] before joining the Arsenal youth setup on 2 July 2014.[5] He earned the praise of senior team manager Arsène Wenger who said that Sheaf was "always ahead of the game".[6] He scored his first goal for the Arsenal U19 in a 3–2 victory over Greek club Olympiacos on 29 September 2015, where he found the net in the 41st minute from the penalty spot.[7]
In October 2015, Sheaf was invited to train with the first team,[8] and days later he was an unused substitute in the club's 3–0 defeat against Sheffield Wednesday.[9] He stated that, although the result was not satisfactory, the experience of being involved in the first-team was good for him as he got to "see how things are done".[10] He made his first-team debut for Arsenal on 19 October 2017, coming on as an 89th-minute substitute for Francis Coquelin in a 1–0 victory over Red Star Belgrade in the UEFA Europa League.[11]
Sheaf joined League Two side Stevenage on loan on 26 January 2018, joining the Hertfordshire club on a deal until the end of the 2017–18 season.[12] He made his debut in a 2-0 loss against Notts County in League Two on 24 February.[13] He made 10 appearances for the side by the end of the loan spell.[14]
Sheaf joined League One side Doncaster Rovers on loan on 12 July 2019, joining the League One side for six months.[15][16] He made his debut and was named in the starting line-up in a 1-1 draw against Gillingham on 3 August.[17][18] His loan deal was extended until the end of the 2019–20 season on 7 January 2020.[19] On 15 February 2020, he scored his first goal for the club in a 2-1 defeat against Gillingham in the reverse fixture.[20] At the end, Sheaf played 38 games in all competitions for the side.[21]
On 4 September 2020, Sheaf joined newly-promoted Championship side Coventry City on a season-long loan deal with the option to make the deal permanent after.[22] He made his first appearance for the club in a 2-1 defeat against Bristol City on 12 September.[23][24]
Sheaf signed for Coventry City on a 3 year deal in July 2021. [25]
Sheaf debuted for England under-16 team in the Victory Shield. As of July 2014, he has played twice for the under-16 national team.[4] He was part of the England U18's which played a couple of friendlies against the Netherlands in September 2015. They won 2–0 in the first game which Sheaf scored a penalty[26] and drew the second game 0–0.
Sheaf comes from a sporting family. His mother was a top-level volleyball and beach volleyball player, and his older brother Jake is also a professional beach volleyball player. Sheaf's father was a footballer at county level, whilst his younger brother Max is a former Arsenal player and current player for Gloucester City[10]
Club | Season | League | FA Cup | EFL Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
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Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Arsenal | 2017–18[27] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[lower-alpha 1] | 0 | 2 | 0 |
2018–19[28] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[lower-alpha 2] | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
2019–20[29] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |||
2020–21[30] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |||
Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
Stevenage (loan) | 2017–18[27] | League Two | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 10 | 0 | |
Doncaster Rovers (loan) | 2019–20[29] | League One | 32 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[lower-alpha 3] | 0 | 38 | 1 |
Coventry City (loan) | 2020–21[30] | Championship | 30 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 32 | 0 | |
Coventry City | 2021–22[31] | Championship | 35 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 37 | 2 | |
2022–23[32] | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 18 | 0 | |||
Total | 53 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 55 | 2 | ||
Career total | 125 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 138 | 3 |
Coventry City F.C. – current squad | |
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