Many years ago, it was rare for EFL players to go and try their luck in a league abroad. Now, players regularly play in different countries, whether they want to gain experience or just try a different culture. But it doesn’t always work out, as Sam Morsy’s ill-fated move to Kuwait SC proved.
Here, I’ll look at five other EFL exports to see how they are faring.
Jobe Bellingham
Birmingham City academy graduate Jobe had a brilliant season in 2024-25. As well as being part of the Sunderland squad that won promotion to the Premier League, he won the EFL Championship Young Player Of The Season.
But rather than play in the top flight with the Black Cats, he opted to follow in the footsteps of big brother Jude, and joined Borussia Dortmund for a reported £26.8m fee.
Jobe has featured in all of Dortmund’s games so far this season, but has only started twice, with all his other appearances coming from the bench. He is yet to complete a full 90 minutes for his new team.
BVB boss Niko Kovac has put Jobe’s lack of game time down to the depth in the squad.
‘Everyone wants to play every minute, but then you only need 11 players,’ he said.
‘When you sign a contract here, its not only well paid but it also means that there’s a hell of a lot of competition.’
Despite these comments, it appears that Dortmund do see Jobe as an important part of their future.
Dortmund managing director Lars Ricken said: ‘The boy is 19 years old […] We don’t think in days or weeks, we think in years.
‘Jobe has a five-year contract, and we are absolutely convinced that he will make his way here with us.’
It has been a slow start for Jobe, but it looks like he is on the right path. Next stop, Real Madrid?
Oladapo Afolayan
Oladapo Afolayan is what football writers refer to as a ‘journeyman’, having played for West Ham, Oldham Athletic and Bolton Wanderers amongst others. In January 2023, he made the move to FC St Pauli in Germany, and he hasn’t looked back.
The forward has fared well in his two seasons with the Kiezkickers, making 82 appearances so far. He scored a brace in a 3-1 win over VfL Osnabruck, which saw St Pauli promoted to the Bundesliga for the first time since 2010. He continued his form in the Bundesliga last season, popping up with important goals to ensure St Pauli avoided relegation.
The forward was linked with a move to West Brom in the summer, but that came to nothing as the Baggies concentrated on other targets.
Afolayan’s creative style of play has seen him compared in Germany to former Eintracht Frankfurt – and Bolton – player Jay-Jay Okocha. It will be interesting to see if he can maintain his good form during his second season in the Bundesliga.
Chuba Akpom
Chuba Akpom is only 29 but has already played for four European clubs during his career, as well as a number of English clubs – including Arsenal, Brighton, and Brentford.
The best spell of his career has come at Greek club PAOK. He signed for £2m in 2018, and helped them to win their first league title since 1985, scoring 14 goals in 54 league appearances.
He scored the winner in the 2019 Greek Cup final, a 1-0 win against AEK Athens.
Akpom has been at Ajax since 2023 but hasn’t hit the same heights in the Eredivisie. He spent the second half of last season on loan at Lille, with an option to buy, but that wasn’t taken up.
He returned to Ajax, but joined Ipswich on a season-long loan in August this year. His contract with Ajax doesn’t expire until 2028, so his spell at Ipswich could be the deciding factor in whether Ajax decide to cash in on him or not.
Jonathan Rowe
Jonathan Rowe had a promising start to his career at Norwich, where he came through their academy. He made his professional debut in 2021, having impressed in the Canaries’ Under 23 team, and established himself in the first team during the 2023-24 season.
His performances earned him nomination for the EFL Young Player Of The Season that year.
In August 2024 Rowe moved to French club Marseille in a season-long loan. He impressed the Ligue Un club enough for them to trigger an obligation to buy clause, and he joined them permanently in May this year.
However, it hasn’t been plain sailing for the young winger.
In August, Rowe and teammate Adrien Rabiot were both transfer-listed after fighting in the dressing room following a 1-0 defeat at Rennes. Marseille boss Roberto De Zerbi described the incident as being like an ‘English pub fight’.
Rowe, who was part of the England Under 21 Euro winning team, was sold to Italian club Bologna for £16.8m.
Funnily enough, his sparring partner Rabiot has joined him in Serie A, signing for AC Milan. The two teams played each other at the start of this season, with Milan winning 1-0. Another successful EFL story.
Brooke Norton-Cuffy
Another member of that successful England Under 21 team, Brooke Norton-Cuffy joined Arsenal at the age of 10.
After coming through their academy, the right-back had loan spells at Lincoln City, Rotherham United and Coventry City, before joining Italian club Genoa permanently in August 2024.
Norton-Cuffy had a slow start to life in Serie A, making just eight appearances during his first eight months at Il Grifone. Injuries have also hampered his progress.
That all changed when Patrick Vieira became manager. He started Norton-Cuffy in a match against Lazio in April, and Norton-Cuffy has kicked on from there, starting every match since.
The Arsenal connection has helped, because Vieira’s coaching has improved Norton-Cuffy’s game so much that the 21-year-old is now valued at around €10m.
With other clubs rumoured to be circling, Norton-Cuffy’s future looks bright.
