John_Cofie

John Cofie

John Cofie

English footballer

John Erzuah Cofie (born 21 January 1993) is a retired footballer who played as a forward.

Quick Facts Personal information, Full name ...

He began his career with Burnley and moved to Manchester United for a fee of £1m at the age of 14,[2] but failed to make the break into the first-team. Following loan spells with Royal Antwerp, Sheffield United and Notts County he was released by Manchester United, joining Barnsley on a free transfer in July 2013. He never made a first-team appearance at Barnsley before joining Norwegian club Molde in August 2014. In March 2015, he returned to England, joining Crawley Town. He moved to Wrexham in November 2015. In January 2016, Cofie joined AFC Telford United before moving to Southport in June 2016.

Born in Aboso, Ghana, Cofie moved to England at a young age and has been capped by England at under-17 level.

Club career

Manchester United

Cofie began his football career as a junior player with Burnley.[3] After Burnley rejected a £250,000 bid from Liverpool for Cofie in November 2007,[4] he refused to return to training with the club. After further interest from Chelsea, Cofie was signed by Manchester United in November 2007[5] and joined their Academy in July 2009.[3] After signing professional terms with United in 2010, he continued to play for the youth side and looked to break through into the reserve side.[3]

In 2012, he was loaned to Belgian side Royal Antwerp to gain first-team experience.[3] The following summer, Cofie signed a one–year loan deal with League One side Sheffield United for the 2012–13 season.[6] After making his debut in the opening game of the season against Shrewsbury Town, Cofie scored his first goal for the club a week later at Colchester United.[7] On 3 January 2013, it was revealed that Cofie had returned to Manchester United, despite having expressed a desire to see out the season with the Blades.[8]

In February 2013, Cofie joined another League One side, Notts County, on a one-month long loan deal.[9][10] Cofie scored on his debut, in a 1–1 draw with Crewe Alexandra, but his deal was not extended and he returned to United in March having made seven appearances for County.[11] After failing to break through into their first team, Cofie was released by Manchester United at the end of the 2012–13 season.[12]

Barnsley

Available on a free transfer, Cofie signed a one-year deal with Championship side Barnsley on 19 July 2013.[13] Cofie was released by Barnsley at the end of the 2013–14 season.[14]

Molde

On 9 August 2014, Cofie signed a contract with Tippeligaen side Molde FK.[15]

He was released in January 2015 after not making a single first team appearance for the club.[16]

Crawley Town

Cofie signed for Crawley Town on a one-month contract on 25 March 2015.[17]

Wrexham

Cofie signed for Wrexham on non-contract terms on 25 November 2015.[18]

AFC Telford United

Cofie moved to AFC Telford United in the National League North in January 2016.[19]

Southport

In June 2016, Cofie joined National League club Southport on a free transfer.[20] He joined National League North side Bradford Park Avenue on loan on 19 November 2016.[21] On 29 December 2016, he was loaned out once again, this time to National League North club Chorley on a one-month deal.[22]

Stalybridge Celtic

In September 2017, he joined Stalybridge Celtic.[23]

Derry City

Cofie joined Derry City on 28 November 2017.[24]

Hume City

Cofie played for Australian club Hume City of the second-tier league, National Premier Leagues in 2018.[25]

Global F.C.

Cofie was without a club until January 2020, when he was signed in by Philippines Football League side, Global.[25] In July 2020, 27-year-old Cofie announced his retirement to start a coaching career.[26]

Personal life

In January 2023, Cofie appeared in court charged with rape.[27] In February 2024, he was found not guilty on all counts by a jury.[28]

Career statistics

As of match played 2 September 2018[29]
More information Club, Season ...
  1. Appearance(s) in Football League Trophy
  2. Appearance(s) in FA Trophy
  3. Appearance(s) in Lancashire Senior Cup

References

  1. [1]
    "Premier League Clubs submit Squad Lists" (PDF). premierleague.com. Premier League. 2 September 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 July 2013. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
  2. [2]
    Aarons, Ed (17 December 2015). "Paid too much, too young, but George Green makes new start at Ossett". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
  3. [3]
    "John Cofie - Player Profile". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  4. [4]
    "Burnley warn Liverpool over Cofie". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). 8 November 2007. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  5. [5]
    "Man Utd capture 14-year-old Cofie". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). 9 November 2007. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  6. [6]
    "Blades boss wins over Fergie to get Manchester United's John Cofie". The Star. Sheffield: Johnston Publishing. 10 July 2012. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  7. [7]
    "Cofie on the go". UTB - Matchday Magazine. 1 September 2012. p. 31.
  8. [8]
    Marshall, Adam (3 January 2013). "Duo return from loans". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  9. [9]
    Marshall, Adam (8 February 2013). "Cofie joins County on loan". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Retrieved 8 February 2013.
  10. [10]
    Dixon, Jamie (8 February 2013). "Man Utd striker arrives on loan". NottsCountyFC.co.uk. Notts County FC. Retrieved 8 February 2013.
  11. [11]
    "Cofie goes back to Red Devils". Football 365. 11 March 2013. Archived from the original on 18 March 2013. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
  12. [12]
    "Veseli heads list of released United players". Manchester Evening News. MEN Media. 7 June 2013. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
  13. [13]
    "Cofie Joins Reds". barnsleyfc.co.uk. Barnsley FC. 19 July 2013. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  14. [14]
    "Barnsley release defender Bobby Hassell after 10 years". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). 7 May 2014. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
  15. [15]
    "Molde signerer John Cofie" (in Norwegian). Molde FK. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  16. [16]
    "To spillere har forlatt Molde" (in Norwegian). Molde FK. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  17. [17]
    "John Cofie: Crawley Town sign ex-Manchester United trainee". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). 25 March 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  18. [18]
    "I'll repay Wrexham AFC faith says striker John Cofie". Daily Post. 27 November 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  19. [19]
    "AFC Telford bring in ex-United man John Cofie". Shropshire Star. 15 January 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  20. [20]
    "Southport: Tyrell Belford and John Cofie join National League side". BBC Sport. 28 June 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  21. [21]
    "John Cofie out on loan at Bradford Park Avenue". Southport FC. 19 November 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  22. [22]
    "Southport striker joins Chorley on loan". Southport Visiter. 29 December 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  23. [23]
    "Ex Burnley & United Striker Signs". stalybridgeceltic.co.uk. Stalybridge Celtic FC. 12 September 2017. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  24. [24]
    "Derry City Welcome Five New Players!". Derry FC. 28 November 2017. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  25. [25]
    Malihan, Drew (24 January 2020). "Global signs former Man United youngster John Cofie". Dugout Philippines. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  26. [26]
    John Cofie interview: Signed by Manchester United for £1m at 14, a friendship with Paul Pogba and retiring at 27, manchestereveningnews.co.uk, 9 October 2020
  27. [27]
    "Ex-Man Utd youth player John Cofie, 30, appears in court charged with raping woman in 2019". LBC. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  28. [28]
    "Ex-Manchester United youth player John Cofie and friend NOT GUILTY of raping woman after night out". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
  29. [29]
    "J. Cofie". Soccerway. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  30. [30]
    "Player Details: John Cofie". SFC FPA. 9 November 2016. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  31. [31]
    "Stalybridge Celtic - Official Site - Player Profile John Cofie". www.stalybridgeceltic.co.uk. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  32. [32]
    "John Cofie - Player Statistics". GameDay. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
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