Jean-Philippe Gbamin


Jean-Philippe Gbamin is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for club Everton and the Ivory Coast national team. He is a former youth international for France.

Club career

Lens

Born in San Pédro, Ivory Coast, Gbamin had spells with French clubs Aire-sur-la-Lys and US Saint-Quentin Blessy, before joining Lens in 2007. In 2013, Gbamin broke into the first team after impressing in the second team, making his debut on 10 May in a 7–0 defeat against Guingamp, in which he replaced Alexandre Coeff fourteen minutes in. Gbamin was assigned the number 25 ahead of the 2013–14 Ligue 2 campaign. On 17 August 2013, Gbamin was given his first Lens start by manager Antoine Kombouaré in a 4–1 victory against Auxerre. Gbamin started to make his Lens breakthrough towards the end of the 2013–14 campaign, assisting them in their promotion to Ligue 1.

Mainz 05

On 13 July 2016, Gbamin joined Bundesliga side Mainz 05 on a five-year contract. He made 86 appearances for Mainz over the following three seasons, featuring at both the defensive midfield and center back positions.

Everton

Gbamin signed for Premier League club Everton on 2 August 2019 on a five-year contract for a £25 million fee. He made appearances in the club's first two games of the season, before being ruled out for eight weeks due to a thigh injury. In October 2019, it was announced he would be out injured until January 2020. In January 2020, it was announced he would be out until the end of the season.
In May 2020, it was announced he would be out injured until November 2020.

International career

Gbamin has represented France at under-18, under-19, under-20 and under-21 level, making his under-21 debut in a 1–1 draw against Italy U20 on 13 November 2014.
Gbamin is also eligible to represent Ivory Coast at international level due to his parents nationalities' and his birthplace. In April 2017, it was announced that Gbamin had committed himself to playing for the Ivory Coast internationally. He made his senior debut for Ivory Coast in a 5–0 friendly loss to the Netherlands on 4 June 2017.

Career statistics

International