 Hugill withPreston North End in 2016 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jordan Thomas Hugill[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1992-06-04)4 June 1992 (age 33)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Middlesbrough, England[2] | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[3] | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Rotherham United | ||
| Number | 9 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2007–2008 | Marske United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2008–2009 | Seaham Red Star | ||
| 2009–2010 | Consett | ||
| 2011 | Jerez Industrial | 15 | (2) |
| 2011–2012 | Whitby Town | 3 | (1) |
| 2012 | →Marske United (loan) | ||
| 2013–2014 | Port Vale | 20 | (4) |
| 2013 | →Gateshead (loan) | 7 | (5) |
| 2014–2018 | Preston North End | 103 | (23) |
| 2015 | →Tranmere Rovers (loan) | 6 | (1) |
| 2015 | →Hartlepool United (loan) | 8 | (4) |
| 2018–2020 | West Ham United | 3 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | →Middlesbrough (loan) | 37 | (6) |
| 2019–2020 | →Queens Park Rangers (loan) | 39 | (13) |
| 2020–2023 | Norwich City | 38 | (4) |
| 2021–2022 | →West Bromwich Albion (loan) | 20 | (1) |
| 2022 | →Cardiff City (loan) | 18 | (4) |
| 2023– | Rotherham United | 85 | (11) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 00:14, 6 May 2025 (UTC) | |||
Jordan Thomas Hugill (born 4 June 1992) is an English professionalfootballer who plays as aforward forEFL League One clubRotherham United.
A relative latecomer to the professional game, he had spells withnon-League sidesSeaham Red Star,Consett,Whitby Town andMarske United, and also spent time at the thenGlenn Hoddle Academy clubJerez Industrial in Spain. He was signed byPort Vale in June 2013 and made his debut for the club four months later following a productiveloan spell atGateshead. He signed withPreston North End in June 2014. He was loaned out toTranmere Rovers in February 2015 and thenHartlepool United the following month. Premier League West Ham United signed him in January 2018 for an undisclosed fee. He returned to theChampionship the followingtransfer window in a season-long loan toMiddlesbrough and was then loaned to Queens Park Rangers for the 2019–20 season. He was sold toNorwich City for a fee of up to £5 million in August 2020 and helped the club to win the Championship title in the 2020–21 season. He joinedWest Bromwich Albion on loan for the first half of the 2021–22 season. He spent the second half of the campaign on loan atCardiff City before joining Rotherham United on a permanent deal in January 2023.
Hugill, who was a pupil atNunthorpe School,[4] attendedGeorge Smith's academy inHemlington from the age of nine.[5] He began his career withNorthern League clubSeaham Red Star at the age of 16 and was due to go on trial atSunderland before he was struck down with an ankle injury in September 2009.[6] He later moved on toConsett, but left hiscontract in August 2010 to spend two years at theGlenn Hoddle Academy in Spain.[5][7]
He signed withWhitby Town in December 2011 and scored in his debut game againstNantwich Town, only to damage hisanterior cruciate ligament (ACL) later in the match and spend the next ten months out injured.[7] He joinedMarske United in October 2012 initially onloan so as to regain match fitness.[7] His last appearance for Marske came in the final of theNorth Riding Senior Cup, where they were beaten 3–0 byPickering Town.[8] During his time at the club he worked as a barman at theDickens Inn inMiddlesbrough.[9]
Hugill signed withLeague One clubPort Vale in June 2013.[10] He was loaned out toGateshead of theConference Premier on 20 September 2013.[11] "Tynesiders" bossGary Mills stated that Hugill was a "talented... goalscorer" and put him in the starting line-up for the next match.[12] He scored his first goal for the club on 24 September in a 3–2 win overChester at theGateshead International Stadium.[13] He finished his loan spell with five goals in four starts and threesubstitute appearances.
He made his debut for the "Valiants" on 22 October, and played the first 75 minutes of a 3–0 victory overCrawley Town.[14] He performed well on his debut, justifying hismanager's surprise decision to play him alongside fellow Glenn Hoddle Academy graduateBen Williamson in place of established strikersTom Pope andLee Hughes.[15]
First of all you have to say well done to our chiefscout,George Foster, who spotted his potential playing innon-League. We had him with us last season and the one thing he struggled with was his fitness. Pre-season was a struggle for him as well. He is a big old boy, not used to a professional pre-season, but is one of those lads who never gives up. You ask him to pull out of things and he doesn't want to do that.
— Port Vale managerMicky Adams describing Hugill in October 2013.[16]
He scored his first Football League goal on 16 November, scoring the final goal of a 3–1 victory overShrewsbury Town atVale Park; after the match Adams said that the club had "unearthed a gem" in Hugill.[17] Hugill continued to turn out for the first-team, but admitted that he needed to work on his fitness to play a full 90 minutes of professional football.[18] At the end of the2013–14 campaign he was named as the club's Young Player of the Year, and also featured in Vale'sStaffordshire Senior Cup final defeat toRushall Olympic.[19][20] However, in the summer Micky Adams confirmed that Hugill had rejected the club's offer of a new contract, and stated: "It is disappointing ... we spent a lot of time and effort with Jordan last season, but we will have to accept it."[21] The club were forced to sell him for a cheap price, though Adams successfully negotiated a 20% sell on clause that would net the club a£1.8 million windfall.[22]
Hugill signed a two-year contract with League One clubPreston North End in June 2014, who paid Port Vale an undisclosed fee; managerSimon Grayson stated that "he's young, he's raring to go, hungry, he's a strong, powerful player, and he's got many attributes that will help us along the way this season and complement the squad well".[23] He had an eventful match after coming on forAndrew Little as a 20th-minute substitute atWalsall on 13 September; he provided anassist forJoe Garner before beingsent off for clashing with opposition defenderAndy Butler, he also picked up an injury in the game that required surgery and a lengthy spell on the sidelines.[24] He returned to fitness in February 2015, at which point he joined his former Vale managerMicky Adams atLeague Two sideTranmere Rovers for a one-month loan spell.[25]
On 26 March 2015, loan deadline day, Hugill signed for bottom-placed League Two clubHartlepool United on loan until the end ofthe season; "Pools" bossRonnie Moore said that "It just didn't work at Tranmere. But we've seen a lot of him and he'll go straight in and get goals for us, no doubt about it".[26] He scored four goals in eight games for the club, including the winning goal againstExeter City atVictoria Park that secured Hartlepool's place in theEnglish Football League.[27] He was an unused substitute atWembley in theplay-off final as Preston wonpromotion into theChampionship.[28]
He signed a new two-and-a-half-year contract in October 2015.[29] He ended the2015–16 campaign with five goals in 32 games. He continued to impress in the2016–17 season and was given another new two-and-a-half-year contract in September 2016.[30] The club rejected an offer of £1.5 million fromIpswich Town in January 2017.[31] He ended the2016–17 season with 13 goals in 47 appearances to end up as Preston's top-scorer.[32] He started the2017–18 season in good form and was linked with several clubs in thesummer transfer window. He handed in atransfer request on 29 August 2017.[33]
On 31 January 2018, Hugill completed a deadline day signing forPremier League clubWest Ham United in a reported £10 million transfer deal, becoming managerDavid Moyes' second signing at theLondon Stadium.[34] However, he was restricted to a handful of brief cameos in the second half of the2017–18 season, playing just 22 minutes in total.[35][36]
On 8 August 2018, Hugill returned to the Championship on a season-long loan toMiddlesbrough.[37] On 10 November, he opened his league account for the club by scoring both goals in a 2–0 win overWigan Athletic at theRiverside Stadium. He was subsequently named on the EFL Team of the Week.[38] He battled withBritt Assombalonga for the role as target man striker and scored seven goals in 41 appearances during the2018–19 season asTony Pulis's "Boro" side missed out on theplay-offs by one point.[39]
On 28 July 2019, Hugill joined Championship sideQueens Park Rangers on loan for the2019–20 season.[40] ManagerMark Warburton said he hoped Hugill would "lead the line" and link up well with fellow loanee strikerJan Mlakar.[41] He scored on his "Hoops" debut on 3 August as they recorded a season opening 2–1 victory atStoke City.[42] He ended the season with 15 goals in 41 appearances throughout the2019–20 campaign.[43]
After two loan spells and just three appearances, amounting to 22 minutes of playing time for West Ham, on 24 August 2020, he joined recentlyrelegated Championship team Norwich City for a fee "that could be worth £5m".[44][45] He signed a three-year contract and was given the club's number nine shirt.[46] He scored his first goal for the "Canaries", a latepenalty, in a 2–1 win atRotherham United on 17 October.[47] Ahamstring injury meant he was limited to just seven league starts in the2020–21 season. However, he still scored five goals from 34 appearances in all competitions as Norwich secured promotion back to the Premier League as Championship title winners.[48] ManagerDaniel Farke said that Hugill was "a key player for me... I don't just rate a player because of his minutes and his impact on thepitch. You don't win a title or promotion just as 11 players. A leader in our dressing room and one of the main topics why we were promoted".[49] However, Hugill failed to displaceTeemu Pukki andJosh Sargent in the starting eleven and was sidelined under firstDean Smith and thenDavid Wagner.[50]
Hugill once again returned to the Championship on loan after being promoted into the Premier League, joiningWest Bromwich Albion on loan for the2021–22 season on 25 August.[51] He scored his first goal for the club in a 3–0 victory overBristol City atThe Hawthorns on 23 October.[52] However, this was his only goal from his first 20 appearances for the "Baggies", leading to speculation that he would be recalled to Norwich following West Brom's decision to sign American strikerDaryl Dike.[53] He later said that he felthead coachValérien Ismaël did not really want him at the club, which caused his confidence to drop.[54] Hugill was recalled to Norwich City on 29 January 2022 as West Brom completed the signings of both Daryl Dike fromOrlando City andfree agentAndy Carroll.[55]
On 30 January 2022, Hugill returned to the Championship to joinCardiff City on loan until the end of the2021–22 season.[56] His debut came at theCardiff City Stadium later that same day, and he scored the opening goal in a 2–1 win overNottingham Forest.[57] He had an enjoyable spell withSteve Morison's "Bluebirds", helping the team to avoid relegation, in contrast to his time at West Brom where he was frozen out of the first-team and forced to train alone.[58]
On 25 January 2023, Hugill joined fellow Championship clubRotherham United on a three-and-a-half-year deal after being signed for an undisclosed fee.[59][60] He failed to find the net in his first six games for the "Millers", but was praised by managerMatt Taylor for his all round contribution to the team.[61] He did though challenge Hugill to work on becoming a bigger threat in set-pieces.[62] He scored five goals in 18 games in the second half of the2022–23 season, scoring braces against former clubs Queens Park Rangers and West Bromwich Albion.[63][64]
He struggled with knee problems in the2023–24 pre-season.[65] He went on a goal drought form October asLeam Richardson's team struggled at the foot of the table and he again suffered with a knee problem.[66] He scored a brace in a 5–2 win over former club Cardiff City on the final day of the season as Rotherham exited the Championship.[67] He scored five goals from 35 games in the2024–25 campaign.[68]
Hugill is a target manforward, has great strength and can out-muscle opposition defenders.[69][70] Former Port Vale teammateTom Pope stated that Hugill had an excellent attitude and "was desperate to learn and improve".[71]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Jerez Industrial | 2010–11[72] | Tercera División | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 15 | 2 | |
| Whitby Town | 2011–12[73][74][75] | NPL Premier Division | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | |
| 2012–13[76][77][78] | NPL Premier Division | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Total | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | |||
| Port Vale | 2013–14[79] | League One | 20 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 5 |
| Gateshead (loan) | 2013–14[79] | Conference Premier | 7 | 5 | — | — | — | 7 | 5 | |||
| Preston North End | 2014–15[80] | League One | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1[a] | 1 | 6 | 2 |
| 2015–16[81] | Championship | 29 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | — | 32 | 5 | ||
| 2016–17[82] | Championship | 44 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 47 | 13 | ||
| 2017–18[83] | Championship | 27 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | — | 29 | 10 | ||
| Total | 103 | 23 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 114 | 30 | ||
| Tranmere Rovers (loan) | 2014–15[80] | League Two | 6 | 1 | — | — | — | 6 | 1 | |||
| Hartlepool United (loan) | 2014–15[80] | League Two | 8 | 4 | — | — | — | 8 | 4 | |||
| West Ham United | 2017–18[83] | Premier League | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | |||
| 2018–19[84] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2019–20[43] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Middlesbrough (loan) | 2018–19[84] | Championship | 37 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | 41 | 7 | |
| Queens Park Rangers (loan) | 2019–20[43] | Championship | 39 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 41 | 15 | |
| Norwich City | 2020–21[85] | Championship | 31 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 34 | 5 | |
| 2021–22[86] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23[63] | Championship | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 10 | 1 | ||
| Total | 38 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 6 | ||
| West Bromwich Albion (loan) | 2021–22[86] | Championship | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 20 | 1 | ||
| Cardiff City (loan) | 2021–22[86] | Championship | 18 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 19 | 4 | ||
| Rotherham United | 2022–23[63] | Championship | 18 | 5 | — | — | — | 18 | 5 | |||
| 2023–24[87] | Championship | 39 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 42 | 5 | ||
| 2024–25[68] | League One | 28 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6[a] | 4 | 35 | 5 | |
| 2025–26[88] | League One | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 85 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 95 | 15 | ||
| Career total[b] | 402 | 79 | 17 | 4 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 441 | 96 | ||
Marske United
Port Vale
Preston North End
Norwich City
Individual
