# Tom Ince
**Tom Ince** (Thomas Ince, born 1992) is an English professional footballer who plays as a left-footed attacking midfielder and winger for League Two club Tranmere Rovers. He is the son of [Paul Ince](https://www.edgepedia.org/paul-ince), the former Manchester United, Liverpool, Inter Milan, and England midfielder, and built his own career largely in the [EFL Championship](https://www.edgepedia.org/efl-championship), with spells at [Blackpool](https://www.edgepedia.org/blackpool), Derby County, Huddersfield Town, Stoke City, Reading, and Watford.[1](https://www.fotmob.com/players/212714/thomas-ince) • [2](https://www.uefa.com/under21/news/0257-0deca4f9d7c0-1443efeca3b2-1000--ince-on-his-father-england-and-giggs/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1992, England; left-footed attacking midfielder who also plays right midfield, left midfield, and right wing[1](https://www.fotmob.com/players/212714/thomas-ince) |
| Senior debut | One appearance for Liverpool, as an extra-time substitute in a Carling Cup defeat by Northampton Town[3](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/football-league/tom-ince-out-in-the-real-world-and-living-up-to-illustrious-name-at-blackpool-7763892.html) |
| Most productive club | Blackpool, 2011 to January 2014: 113 appearances and 33 goals in all competitions[1](https://www.fotmob.com/players/212714/thomas-ince) |
| Biggest transfer | Huddersfield Town to Stoke City, 24 July 2018, £12.0m[4](https://www.skysports.com/football/player/97518/tom-ince) |
| Peak market value | €15.7M on 31 December 2017[1](https://www.fotmob.com/players/212714/thomas-ince) |
| International career | England U21, 15 caps and 1 goal (2012 to 2014); England U19, 2 caps[1](https://www.fotmob.com/players/212714/thomas-ince) |
## Early career and Liverpool
Ince came through Liverpool's academy and spent eight years at the club as a junior, but made only one senior appearance, coming on as an extra-time substitute in the Carling Cup defeat against Northampton Town.[3](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/football-league/tom-ince-out-in-the-real-world-and-living-up-to-illustrious-name-at-blackpool-7763892.html) A loan to Notts County in League One followed in October 2010, where he made 6 league appearances and scored 2 goals.[5](https://theanalyst.com/players/5229/tom-ince/career) He left Liverpool in August 2011, saying he felt the time was right to play in "the real world" rather than stay for three more years in reserve football.[3](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/football-league/tom-ince-out-in-the-real-world-and-living-up-to-illustrious-name-at-blackpool-7763892.html)
## Blackpool
Signing for Blackpool in August 2011 was the decision that made his career. The club had just been relegated from the Premier League and had lost [Charlie Adam](https://www.edgepedia.org/charlie-adam), DJ Campbell, and David Vaughan, and the untried 20-year-old was an unknown quantity when he arrived at Bloomfield Road.[3](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/football-league/tom-ince-out-in-the-real-world-and-living-up-to-illustrious-name-at-blackpool-7763892.html) His speed, composure, and intelligence on the ball dispelled the doubts quickly; in an October 2011 match against Doncaster Rovers he came off the bench to score twice, including a last-minute winner.[3](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/football-league/tom-ince-out-in-the-real-world-and-living-up-to-illustrious-name-at-blackpool-7763892.html) Across two and a half seasons he made 113 appearances in all competitions and scored 33 goals, including 18 league goals in the 2012/2013 season, and helped the club reach the Championship play-offs.[1](https://www.fotmob.com/players/212714/thomas-ince) • [5](https://theanalyst.com/players/5229/tom-ince/career) He was by then an England Under-21 regular and one of the most talked-about young players in the Football League.[6](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/jun/07/thomas-ince-england-under-21-blackpool)
## Hull, loans, and Derby County
In January 2014 he moved on loan to Crystal Palace in the Premier League, scoring once in 8 league appearances, and shared a pitch with [Ryan Giggs](https://www.edgepedia.org/ryan-giggs) for five minutes in a February 2014 defeat to Manchester United, the player he later described as a mentor.[5](https://theanalyst.com/players/5229/tom-ince/career) • [7](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/fa-league-cups/tom-ince-interview-it-would-be-a-dream-to-play-for-manchester-united-one-day-a6839946.html) In the summer of 2014 he turned down a move to Internazionale, his father's former club, to sign for Hull City, saying his motivation was to establish himself as a Premier League footballer.[8](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news/simon-hart-tom-ince-determined-to-align-his-lofty-ambitions-with-those-of-derby-10105252.html) The move did not work out: he made only a handful of Hull appearances, spent October to December 2014 on loan at Nottingham Forest, and joined Derby County on loan in February 2015.[1](https://www.fotmob.com/players/212714/thomas-ince)
At Derby his form returned. The loan spell produced 11 goals in 18 league appearances, and after a permanent move in July 2015 he scored 12 league goals in 2015/2016 and 14 in 2016/2017, finishing with 38 goals in 114 appearances for the club across both spells.[5](https://theanalyst.com/players/5229/tom-ince/career) • [9](https://www.oncloudseven.com/992-tom-ince/) His market value peaked at €15.7M in December 2017.[1](https://www.fotmob.com/players/212714/thomas-ince)
## Huddersfield, Stoke, and the later Championship years
Ince joined Huddersfield Town in July 2017 and played 33 Premier League matches in their 2017/2018 season, scoring twice.[5](https://theanalyst.com/players/5229/tom-ince/career) Stoke City then paid £12.0m for him in July 2018, the largest fee of his career.[4](https://www.skysports.com/football/player/97518/tom-ince) He spent three and a half years at Stoke, with 83 league appearances and 9 goals, interrupted by a short loan to Luton Town in early 2021 and a hernia operation in November 2018.[5](https://theanalyst.com/players/5229/tom-ince/career) • [4](https://www.skysports.com/football/player/97518/tom-ince) A January 2022 loan to Reading became a free-transfer permanent deal that summer, and in 2022/2023 he scored 9 league goals in 38 matches for Reading.[5](https://theanalyst.com/players/5229/tom-ince/career)
## Watford and Tranmere Rovers
Ince joined Watford in 2023 and spent three seasons there, making 93 appearances in all competitions and scoring 11 goals, including a hat-trick in a 3-0 victory over Birmingham City on [New Year's Day](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-years-day).[10](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c936wdl40nqo) Watford released him when his contract expired in May 2026; chief executive Scott Duxbury called him "a really good professional" and "a really good influence in the changing room".[10](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c936wdl40nqo)
Tranmere manager Darrell Clarke noted he had "played at a very high level throughout his career".[11](https://bbc.com.im/sport/football/articles/cp3r133degxo) In his first months at the club he scored 2 goals with 2 assists in his first 10 league matches of the 2026/2027 season.[5](https://theanalyst.com/players/5229/tom-ince/career)
## International career and playing style
Ince represented England at under-19 and under-21 level, earning 15 under-21 caps with 1 goal between 2012 and 2014, but never made a senior England appearance.[1](https://www.fotmob.com/players/212714/thomas-ince) He said in 2015 that playing for England "flows through the blood" in his family but that he had ended his under-21 career to focus on club football.[12](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/32549790)
His game has been built on pace, dribbling, and cutting inside from the wing to shoot, a style he has said he models on Ryan Giggs as an "old-fashioned winger".[3](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/football-league/tom-ince-out-in-the-real-world-and-living-up-to-illustrious-name-at-blackpool-7763892.html) • [7](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/fa-league-cups/tom-ince-interview-it-would-be-a-dream-to-play-for-manchester-united-one-day-a6839946.html) FotMob's trait comparison for his 2026/2027 season rates him high among League Two attacking midfielders and wingers for shot attempts (93rd percentile) and goals (72nd percentile), and lower for defensive contributions (22nd percentile).[1](https://www.fotmob.com/players/212714/thomas-ince)
## References
1. [Thomas Ince, stats, career and market value, FotMob](https://www.fotmob.com/players/212714/thomas-ince)
2. [Ince on his father, England and Giggs, UEFA.com](https://www.uefa.com/under21/news/0257-0deca4f9d7c0-1443efeca3b2-1000--ince-on-his-father-england-and-giggs/)
3. [Tom Ince out in the 'real world' and living up to illustrious name at Blackpool, The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/football-league/tom-ince-out-in-the-real-world-and-living-up-to-illustrious-name-at-blackpool-7763892.html)
4. [Tom Ince transfer history, Sky Sports](https://www.skysports.com/football/player/97518/tom-ince)
5. [Tom Ince Career History, Opta Analyst](https://theanalyst.com/players/5229/tom-ince/career)
6. [Thomas Ince: 'Dad used to make me cry but that has made me stronger', The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/jun/07/thomas-ince-england-under-21-blackpool)
7. [Tom Ince interview: 'It would be a dream to play for Manchester United one day', The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/fa-league-cups/tom-ince-interview-it-would-be-a-dream-to-play-for-manchester-united-one-day-a6839946.html)
8. [Tom Ince determined to align his lofty ambitions with those of Derby, The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news/simon-hart-tom-ince-determined-to-align-his-lofty-ambitions-with-those-of-derby-10105252.html)
9. [992 Tom Ince, On Cloud Seven](https://www.oncloudseven.com/992-tom-ince/)
10. [Tom Ince and Nampalys Mendy released by Hornets, BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c936wdl40nqo)
11. [Tranmere: Veteran forward Tom Ince heads up trio of new arrivals, BBC Sport](https://bbc.com.im/sport/football/articles/cp3r133degxo)
12. [Tom Ince: England 'flows through Ince blood' says Derby winger, BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/32549790)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › People › Men's footballers of the British Isles (modern era) › English footballers 2005–2014*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license