Conor Chaplin

Conor Mark Chaplin (born 16 February 1997) is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or right midfielder for club Leicester City.

Chaplin joined the youth set up at Portsmouth in 2003, progressing through the club's academy to make his senior debut in December 2014. He won the 2015 League Two Apprentice Award during his first season as a senior professional. He helped Portsmouth win the EFL League Two title in 2016–17, going on to make 122 appearances and score 25 goals during his time at the club. He joined Coventry City on loan in 2018, before signing permanently for the club in January 2019. After one season at Coventry, he signed for Barnsley in 2019. Chaplin spent two seasons at Barnsley, helping the club to Championship survival during his first season at the club, and then go on to reach the EFL Championship play-offs in the 2020–21 season. In July 2021, Chaplin signed for Ipswich Town. In the 2022–23 season, Chaplin scored 26 league goals to help the club to promotion, scooping the Golden Boot and earning himself a spot in the EFL League One Team of the Season.

Career Portsmouth Born in Worthing, Chaplin progressed through Portsmouth's youth categories after joining the club at the age of six. He was offered a two-year scholarship contract on 3 July 2013. He made his League Two debut on 13 December, from the bench in a 3–2 home defeat against Accrington Stanley. Chaplin scored his first professional goal on 11 April 2015, netting his team's only goal in a 3–1 away defeat against Morecambe. He made his first start for Pompey in their final game of the season, a 1–1 home draw against York City. At the end of the season he was named the League Two Apprentice of the Year.

2015–16 season Chaplin started the 2015–16 season on the bench, playing second fiddle to first-choice striker Matt Tubbs, but showcased his talents with goals against Championship clubs Derby and Reading in the first and second rounds of the Football League Cup, also scoring in the 3rd round of the FA Cup in a 2–2 draw with Ipswich Town. He scored his first two league goals of the season in a 3–1 win over Barnet on 12 September. Although Chaplin struggled to maintain a first-team place in the league, he would still manage to score 11 goals in 38 appearances in all competitions over the course of the season. – a run of form which would see him established as Portsmouth's first-choice striker.

As the season continued, Cook would rotate his centre-forwards, and Chaplin lost his place to the more physically imposing Smith. Though Smith would ultimately fall out of favour and move to Northampton Town in the January transfer window, the signing of Eoin Doyle – who had previously played under Cook at Chesterfield – ensured that Chaplin would remain on the bench. Chaplin continued to make cameo appearances as a substitute, however, and took his tally to eight for the season with a last-gasp, 25 yard strike against Barnet to snatch a point in a 1–1 draw on 18 February. Chaplin finished the season with 8 goals in 42 appearances, helping Portsmouth to lift the EFL League Two title. He made his debut in a 1–0 defeat against Rochdale on 1 September. Chaplin scored his first goal for the club from the penalty spot in a 2–1 away victory against Oxford United on 9 September.

Chaplin completed his permanent move to Coventry on 4 January. On 19 January Chaplin scored the opener in a 2–1 away defeat to Plymouth Argyle. On 13 April, Chaplin scored the winning goal in a 5–4 away win against Sunderland. He scored 8 goals in 32 appearances for Coventry during the 2018–19 season. He made his debut for the club as a second-half substitute on the opening day of the 2019–20 season, against Fulham. Two weeks later, he scored his first goal for Barnsley, scoring in a 2–2 draw with Charlton Athletic. He did not score again until 23 November, when he scored in a 3–2 loss against Blackburn Rovers. His goal scoring form improved from that point, going on to score seven goals in his next seven games, including scoring his first career hat-trick in a 5–3 Barnsley victory over QPR at Oakwell on 14 December. His form earned him the EFL Championship Player of the Month award for December. He made his debut for Ipswich on the opening day of the 2021–22 season in a 2–2 home draw with Morecambe at Portman Road. He scored his first goal for the club on 25 September, netting a 90th-minute equalizer in a 1–1 home draw with Sheffield Wednesday.

At the end of the 22/23 League One season, Chaplin would be awarded the Sky Bet League One Golden Boot jointly with Peterborough striker Jonson Clarke-Harris scoring 26 league goals which helped Ipswich achieve a 2nd-place finish and promotion to the Championship. Chaplin would also be included in the League One Team of the Season and awarded the Ipswich Town Player of the Season.

In June 2023, Chaplin signed a new three-year contract at the club, stating "there is nowhere else I would rather be".

In December 2024, Chaplin scored his first Premier League goal (in his 400th career appearance) in the home defeat to Bournemouth to complete the set of scoring in each of the top four English divisions.

Portsmouth (loan) On deadline day of the 25/26 summer window, Chaplin returned to boyhood club Portsmouth on loan for the remainder of the season. His debut appearance was the South Coast Derby against Southampton.

On 15 May 2026, Ipswich Town announced Chaplin would be released at the end of his contract.

Leicester City On 16 July 2026, Chaplin became the first signing for Leicester City following their relegation to League One.

Career statistics

Honours Portsmouth EFL League Two: 2016–17

Ipswich Town EFL League One runner-up: 2022–23 EFL Championship runner-up: 2023–24, 2025–26

Individual EFL League One Golden Boot: 2022–23 EFL League One Team of the Season: 2022–23 PFA Team of the Year: 2022–23 League One PFA League One Player of the Year: 2022–23 EFL League One Player of the Month: December 2022, April 2023 PFA Fans' League One Player of the Month: August 2022, September 2022 Ipswich Town Player of the Year: 2022–23 Ipswich Town Players' Player of the Year: 2022–23 Ipswich Town Goal of the Season: 2022–23