Leighton Clarkson

Leighton Clarkson
Clarkson in 2019
Personal information
Full name Leighton Owen Clarkson
Date of birth (2001-10-19) 19 October 2001 (age 25)
Place of birth Blackburn, England
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Blackpool
Number 7
Youth career
–2019 Liverpool
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2019–2023 Liverpool 0 (0)
2021–2022 → Blackburn Rovers (loan) 7 (0)
2022–2023 → Aberdeen (loan) 34 (5)
2023–2026 Aberdeen 83 (7)
2026– Blackpool 13 (0)
International career‡
2021–2022 England U20 5 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 18:02, 12 May 2026 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals as of 10:44, 30 March 2022 (UTC)

Leighton Owen Clarkson (born 19 October 2001) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Blackpool.

Career

Clarkson made his professional debut for Liverpool on 17 December 2019, coming on as a substitute in a match at Aston Villa in the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup.

He played in the FA Cup fourth-round replay against Shrewsbury Town, on 4 February 2020, which Liverpool won 1–0 with the youngest-ever side in their history.

On 24 July 2020, Clarkson signed a long-term contract with Liverpool.

Leighton was named in the starting eleven for a Champions League group stage game against Danish side FC Midtjylland on 9 December 2020.

On 16 August 2021, it was announced that Clarkson would join hometown club Blackburn Rovers on a season-long loan deal. His loan was cut short in January 2022.

Clarkson join Aberdeen on 15 June 2023, on a four-year deal for an undisclosed fee. He scored on his Aberdeen debut in a 4–1 victory over St Mirren.

He joined Blackpool on 2 February 2026, signing a two-and-a-half-year contract, with an option to extend

International career

On 6 September 2021, Clarkson made his debut for the England U20s in a 6–1 victory over Romania U20s at St. George's Park.

Career statistics

Club

As of end of 2025–26 season
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Liverpool 2019–20 Premier League 0010100 020
2020–21 Premier League 0000001010
2021–22 Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2022–23 Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 0010101030
Liverpool U21 2020–21 – – – 3 1 3 1
Blackburn Rovers (loan) 2021–22 Championship 700000—70
Aberdeen (loan) 2022–23 Scottish Premiership 3451031—386
Aberdeen 2023–24 Scottish Premiership 36 3 4 0 4 1 5 0 49 4
2024–25 Scottish Premiership 34 4 5 0 6 3 – 45 7
2025–26 Scottish Premiership 13 0 1 0 2 1 6 0 22 1
Total 83 7 10 0 12 5 11 0 116 12
Blackpool 2025–26 League One 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 13 0
Career total 1371212016615118019
  1. ↑ Includes FA Cup, Scottish Cup
  2. ↑ Includes EFL Cup, Scottish League Cup
  3. ↑ Appearance(s) in UEFA Champions League
  4. ↑ Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
  5. ↑ Two appearances in UEFA Europa League and three appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
  6. ↑ Two appearances in UEFA Europa League and four appearances in UEFA Conference League

Honours

Liverpool Academy

Aberdeen

References

  1. ↑ "Updated squad lists for 2022/23 Premier League". Premier League. 4 February 2023. Archived from the original on 6 February 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  2. 1 2 Leighton Clarkson at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
  3. ↑ "Leighton Clarkson". Liverpool. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  4. ↑ "Leighton Clarkson". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  5. ↑ Leighton Clarkson at Soccerway Edit this at Wikidata
  6. ↑ "Liverpool 1 Shrewsbury 0". BBC Sport. 4 February 2020. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  7. ↑ "Leighton Clarkson signs new long-term Liverpool contract". Liverpool FC. 24 July 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  8. ↑ Carroll, James (9 December 2020). "Team news: Confirmed Liverpool line-up v Midtjylland". Liverpool FC. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  9. ↑ https://www.rovers.co.uk/news/2021/august/Leighton-joins-on-loan-/, Leighton joins on loan, Blackburn Rovers FC, 16 August 2021
  10. ↑ Coates, Charlotte. "'It's hurting him' - Blackburn Rovers send midfielder back to Liverpool as loan cut short". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  11. ↑ "Aberdeen FC - Clarkson Commits Future to AFC". Aberdeen FC. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  12. ↑ "Leighton Clarkson signs for the Pool". Blackpool FC. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
  13. ↑ "Six at SGP for MU20s". EnglandFootball.com. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  14. ↑ "AFC Heritage Trust - Leighton Clarkson". afcheritage.org. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  15. ↑ "Leighton Clarkson | Football Stats | Blackpool | Season 2019/2020 | Soccer Base". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  16. 1 2 "Leighton Clarkson | Football Stats | Blackpool | Season 2020/2021 | Soccer Base". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  17. 1 2 "Leighton Clarkson | Football Stats | Blackpool | Season 2021/2022 | Soccer Base". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  18. ↑ "Leighton Clarkson | Football Stats | Blackpool | Season 2022/2023 | Soccer Base". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  19. ↑ "Leighton Clarkson | Football Stats | Blackpool | Season 2023/2024 | Soccer Base". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  20. ↑ "Leighton Clarkson | Football Stats | Blackpool | Season 2024/2025 | Soccer Base". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  21. 1 2 "Leighton Clarkson | Football Stats | Blackpool | Season 2025/2026 | Soccer Base". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  22. ↑ "LFC U23s beat Burnley to lift Lancashire FA Senior Cup". Liverpool F.C. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  23. ↑ Aberdeen 1-1 Celtic, Martin Dowden, BBC Sport, 24 May 2025