Romelle Donovan

Romelle Troy Donovan (born 30 November 2006) is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for EFL Championship club Sheffield United, on loan from club Brentford.

He made his Football League debut for Birmingham City as a 16-year-old, and spent time loan at Burton Albion before joining Brentford on loan with the expectation of playing for their B team. Internationally, he has represented England at under-18 and under-19 level.

Club career Birmingham City Donovan was born in Birmingham, Had he taken the field, he would have become the club's second youngest debutant, behind Jude Bellingham but ahead of Jude's brother Jobe. thumb

Donovan took up a two-year scholarship with Birmingham City ahead of the 2023–24 season. Under-18s coach Martyn Olorenshaw described him as "a creative midfield player with a strong left foot [who] loves scoring from distance with a strong playing personality." Still only 16, he began the season as a regular in Birmingham's under-21 team, Eustace named Donovan among the substitutes for both of Birmingham's 2023–24 EFL Cup matches, but again he remained unused. and named him on the bench for his first match in charge, away to Middlesbrough. Again, Donovan was unused, but he made his Championship debut four days later, replacing Oliver Burke for the last few minutes of a 2–0 defeat at home to Hull City. On 30 November 2023, his 17th birthday, Donovan signed his first professional contract, to run until June 2026. He finished the season with ten appearances, of which seven were in league matches. In early December, however, he was recalled early by his parent club.

On deadline day, he signed for Brentford on loan for the remainder of the 2024–25 season, with the expectation of playing for Brentford B. The deal included an option to purchase.

Brentford On 2 June 2025, it was announced that Donovan had signed permanently for Brentford. The 18 year-old joined on a five-year deal with an option to extend for an additional year.

On 8 July 2026, Donovan joined Sheffield United on a season-long loan.

International career Born in England and of Kittitian descent, Donovan holds dual-citizenship. On 22 May 2024, Donovan made a goalscoring debut for the England U18s during a 4–2 win over Northern Ireland at St George's Park. He received his first call-up to the England U19s for friendly matches in Croatia in early September. He made his debut for that age group in the starting eleven for the opening match, a 2–2 draw with Italy on 4 September in which he played the first hour and crossed the ball for Ethan Nwaneri to make the score 1–2. He appeared as a substitute in the second game, a 1–1 draw against Croatia three days later, and remained unused in the third.

On 5 September 2025, Donovan made his U20 debut as a substitute during a 2–1 defeat to Italy at the SMH Group Stadium.

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