Tahith Chong

Tahith Jose Girigorio Djorkaef Chong (born 4 December 1999) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a midfielder, winger or forward[3] for Premier League club Luton Town.

Tahith Chong
Chong playing for Manchester United U18s in 2017
Personal information
Full name Tahith Jose Girigorio Djorkaef Chong[1]
Date of birth (1999-12-04) 4 December 1999
Place of birth Willemstad, Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[2]
Position(s) Midfielder, winger, forward
Team information
Current team
 Luton Town
Number 14
Youth career
2009–2016 Feyenoord
2016–2019 Manchester United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2019–2022 Manchester United 5 (0)
2020–2021 → Werder Bremen (loan) 13 (0)
2021 → Club Brugge (loan) 10 (0)
2021–2022 → Birmingham City (loan) 20 (1)
2022–2023 Birmingham City 38 (4)
2023– Luton Town 7 (0)
International career
2013–2014 Netherlands U15 4 (1)
2014–2015 Netherlands U16 11 (1)
2015–2016 Netherlands U17 15 (2)
2016 Netherlands U19 7 (0)
2018 Netherlands U20 4 (1)
2018–2019 Netherlands U21 6 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 10:54, 22 October 2023 (UTC)

Chong joined the Manchester United Academy aged 16, after progressing through the Feyenoord youth system. He won both the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year and Denzil Haroun Reserve Player of the Year awards at United. He made his professional debut in 2019, in an FA Cup game against Reading. In August 2020, he joined Werder Bremen on a season-long loan, which was cut short in January 2021 to facilitate a loan move to Club Brugge. He spent the 2021–22 season on loan at Birmingham City, joined the club on a four-year contract in September 2022, and moved on to Luton Town in July 2023.

Chong made more than 40 appearances for the Netherlands national youth teams from under-15 to under-21 level. He is also eligible to represent Curaçao at international level.

Early life

Chong was born in Willemstad, Curaçao which was then part of the Netherlands Antilles. He is of African and Chinese descent.[4] He later moved to Rotterdam, Netherlands, in order to pursue a move to a professional club. Upon completing a move to Manchester United, Chong's parents also moved to England.[5]

Club career

Early career

Chong joined the youth ranks of Eredivisie club Feyenoord aged 10, and had attracted interest from several Premier League clubs by the age of 16.[6] In September 2014, Chong took part in the Manchester Premier Cup at the Carrington Training Ground, where he was spotted by Manchester United scouts.[7] In early 2016, Chong was on the verge of joining Chelsea.[8]

Youth

In April 2016, Chong announced that he was to join Manchester United after Feyenoord failed to "make a plan" for him.[9] The transfer was made official three months later upon receiving international clearance.[10] Initially linking up with the Under-18s, Chong scored his club's only goal of their 2016–17 FA Youth Cup campaign as they suffered a third round exit to Southampton.[11] The following month, he was ruled out for the remainder of the season after suffering a cruciate ligament injury.[12] Making his return 10 months later for the Under-23s, Chong went on to be named the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year in May 2018.[13]

Senior

In July 2018, Chong was called up to the first team for their pre-season tour in the United States. In their opening game, he featured as a second-half substitute in a 1–1 draw against Club América, followed by starting in their goalless draw against the San Jose Earthquakes.[14][15] On 23 October, he was named as an unused substitute for the first time in United's 1–0 defeat to Juventus in the Champions League.[16] Following the appointment of Ole Gunnar Solskjær as caretaker manager, Chong made his competitive debut replacing Juan Mata in a 2–0 FA Cup victory against Reading on 5 January.[17] At the end of the season, he was named the Denzil Haroun Reserve Player of the Year award, becoming the first player since Giuseppe Rossi to win the award the year after being named the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year.[18] On 9 March 2020, Chong signed a new contract to keep him at the club until 2022, with the option to extend a further year.[19]

Werder Bremen and Club Brugge loans

On 16 August 2020, Chong joined Bundesliga club Werder Bremen on a season-long loan.[20][21] On 12 September, he scored his first goal in his first competitive match for Werder Bremen against FC Carl Zeiss Jena in the DFB-Pokal.[22] Chong's loan was cut short in January 2021.[23] Chong joined Belgian First Division A club Club Brugge on loan on 30 January,[24] and scored on his debut four days later in a Belgian Cup game against Olsa Brakel.[25]

Birmingham City (loan)

On 9 July 2021, Chong joined Birmingham City on a season-long loan.[26] However, he spent pre-season ahead of the 2021–22 campaign at his parent club, and joined Birmingham in time for the start of the Championship season.[27] He made his debut for Birmingham in a 1–0 win over Sheffield United on 7 August,[28] and two weeks later, he made two assists in a 5–0 win over Luton Town.[29] On 2 November 2021, Chong returned to Manchester United for his rehabilitation following surgery on a serious groin injury.[30] He returned to Birmingham in February 2022, and two minutes into his first start after his return, away to Bristol City, he opened the scoring in a 2–1 win; it was his only goal for the club.[31][32] He lasted another month before a hamstring injury kept him out until the last match of the season.[33][32]

Birmingham City

On 1 September 2022, Chong signed a four-year contract with Birmingham City for an undisclosed fee.[34]

Luton Town

On 14 July 2023, Chong signed for Luton Town, newly promoted to the Premier League; the fee was undisclosed.[35]

International career

Chong played youth international football for the Netherlands at under-15,[36] under-16,[37] under-17,[38] under-19,[39] under-20[40] and under-21 levels.[41] He represented the under-17 national team at the 2016 UEFA European Under-17 Championship and scored the only goal in the quarter-final victory against Sweden.[42]

In June 2021, Chong accepted a call-up to the Curaçao national team for their 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup preliminary squad.[43] However, he was not included in the final squad, which subsequently withdrew from the tournament due to an outbreak of COVID-19.[44]

Career statistics
As of match played 21 October 2023[32]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[lower-alpha 1] League cup[lower-alpha 2] Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Manchester United 2018–19 Premier League 2010001[lower-alpha 3]0—40
2019–20 Premier League 3020106[lower-alpha 4]0—120
Total 50301070—160
Manchester United U21 2019–20 —————4[lower-alpha 5]242
Werder Bremen (loan) 2020–21 Bundesliga 13021———151
Club Brugge (loan) 2020–21 Belgian First Division A 10031—00—131
Birmingham City (loan) 2021–22 Championship 2010000——201
Birmingham City 2022–23 Championship 38430———414
Total 5853000——615
Luton Town 2023–24 Premier League 700010——80
Career total 9351122070421179
  1. Includes FA Cup, DFB-Pokal, Belgian Cup
  2. Includes EFL Cup
  3. Appearance in UEFA Champions League
  4. Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  5. Appearances in EFL Trophy

Honours

Club Brugge

Individual

References
  1. "EFL – Squad List 2022/23: Birmingham City – In Squad Players" (PDF). English Football League. p. 10. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  2. "Tahith Chong: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  3. "Birmingham City's Tahith Chong price tag reported as Luton Town eye move". footballleagueworld.co.uk. 11 July 2023. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  4. "Manchester United gets zero on demand: "I just want to stay at Feyenoord"". Voetbal Primeur (in Dutch). 26 January 2016. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  5. Bird, Jeorge (24 June 2016). "Chong confirms his parents will move to England once he joins Man United". Squawka. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  6. "Sixteen-year-old Feyenoord wonderkid confirms Manchester United move". The 42. TheJournal.ie. 29 April 2016. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  7. "How Manchester United beat Chelsea to the signing of Tahith Chong". 10 January 2019.
  8. Burton, Chris (11 January 2019). "Revealed: How Man Utd snatched Chong from under the nose of Chelsea". Goal.com. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  9. Dixon, James (28 April 2016). "Feyenoord starlet Tahith Chong confirms Manchester United move". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  10. "Tahith Chong". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Archived from the original on 27 June 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
  11. Olver, Tom (12 December 2016). "Tahith Chong scores incredible goal for Manchester United against Southampton in FA Youth Cup". The Metro. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  12. Mathieson, Stuart (30 January 2017). "Manchester United starlet Tahith Chong is hit with serious injury setback". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  13. Marshall, Adam (1 May 2018). "Tahith Chong wins Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year award for 2017/18". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  14. Thompson, Gemma (20 July 2018). "Tour 2018 Match Report: United 1 Club America 1". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  15. Thompson, Gemma (23 July 2018). "Tour 2018 Match Report: San Jose Earthquakes 0 United 0". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  16. Bevan, Chris (23 October 2018). "Manchester United 0–1 Juventus". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  17. Davis, Matt (5 January 2019). "Manchester United 2–0 Reading". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  18. Marshall, Adam (9 May 2019). "Tahith Chong voted Under-23s Player of the Year". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  19. "Tahith Chong signs new contract with Man Utd". Manchester United. 9 March 2020. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  20. Bostock, Adam (16 August 2020). "United confirm loan move for youngster". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  21. "Manchester United's Tahith Chong completes loan to Werder Bremen". The Guardian. 16 August 2020. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  22. "Sargent eröffnet, Chongs Premiere: Werder in Runde zwei". kicker (in German). Retrieved 22 September 2020.
  23. SV Werder Bremen EN [@werderbremen_en] (30 January 2021). "i️ @TahithC has ended his loan spell early and will leave SV #Werder Bremen. Thank you for all of your contributions and good luck for the future, Tahith! 💚" (Tweet). Retrieved 30 January 2021 – via Twitter.
  24. "Tahith Chong (21) wordt vijfde Nederlander bij Club Brugge". Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). 30 January 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  25. "Club bekert verder na 6–1 zege tegen Olsa Brakel". Club Brugge (in Dutch). 3 February 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  26. "Chong arrives on loan". Birmingham City F.C. 9 July 2021. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  27. Benson, Michael (18 July 2021). "Explained: Why goalscorer Tahith Chong still played for Manchester United against Derby after signing for Birmingham on loan, as fans at pre-season game come together for anti-Leeds chant". Talksport. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  28. Woodcock, Ian (7 August 2021). "Relegated Sheffield United fell to defeat by Birmingham City on the opening weekend of the Championship season". BBC. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  29. "Scott Hogan's double crowned a sparkling display by Birmingham as they thrashed hapless Luton at Kenilworth Road for their second successive away win". BBC. 21 August 2021. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  30. "Club statement: Tahith Chong". bcfc.com. Birmingham City FC. 2 November 2021. Archived from the original on 3 November 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  31. Dick, Brian (5 March 2021). "Birmingham City player ratings vs Bristol City: Chong back with a bang as Blues win". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  32. Tahith Chong at Soccerway. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  33. Smith, George (7 April 2021). "Manchester United youngster Tahith Chong suffers fresh injury blow in Birmingham loan spell". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  34. "Tahith Chong is back at Blues". Birmingham City F.C. 1 September 2022. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  35. "Tahith Chong is a Hatter!". Luton Town F.C. 14 July 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  36. "Jeugd mannen onder 15". onsoranje.nl. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  37. "Tahith Chong Jeugd mannen onder 16". onsoranje.nl. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  38. "Tahith Chong Jeugd mannen onder 17". onsoranje.nl. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  39. "Tahith Chong Jeugd mannen onder 19". onsoranje.nl. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  40. "Tahith Chong Jeugd mannen beloftenelftal". onsoranje.nl. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  41. "Tahith Chong Jong Oranje". onsoranje.nl. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  42. Boyle, Jonny (16 May 2016). "Tahith Chong Shows Manchester United Fans What He Can Do in Holland U17 Game". Talking Baws. Archived from the original on 12 January 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  43. 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup preliminary rosters announced CONCACAF. 18 June 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  44. Concacaf Statement – Curacao Delegation at 2021 Gold Cup CONCACAF. 9 July 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  45. "Lang nets as Club Brugge seal Belgian title". Football Oranje. 20 May 2021.
  46. "[Under-17] The UEFA technical team – Team of the Tournament". UEFA. July 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  47. "Chong wins Young Player of the Year". Manchester United. 1 May 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  48. "Tahith Chong voted under-23s Player of the Year". Manchester United. 9 May 2019. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  49. "Chong claims PL2 Player of the Month award". Premier League. 10 January 2020. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
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