# Elijah Adebayo

Elijah Anuoluwapo Oluwaferanmi Oluwatomi Oluwalana Ayomikulehin Adebayo (born 7 January 1998) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for EFL Championship club Luton Town.

## Career
### Fulham
#### Early career and non-league loans

Adebayo joined Fulham at under-9 level, and signed a scholarship in August 2014. He signed a one-year professional contract on July 2015.
He was sent on a one-month loan to Slough Town at the end of October 2016, and scored a hat-trick on his competitive debut in a 4–1 FA Trophy win over Bognor Regis Town on 29 October. In November, his loan was extended to January 2017. He returned to Fulham following 6 goals in 11 appearances for Slough.
Adebayo then moved on loan to Bognor Regis later that season, on 9 January 2017. He made his debut on 10 January in a 3–1 victory over Shoreham in a Sussex Senior Challenge Cup match. His league debut came on 14 January against Enfield Town; the match finished 1–1 with Adebayo scoring the equaliser. He scored a second-half hat-trick in a 5–0 win over Canvey Island on 21 January. He finished his loan with 5 goals in 7 appearances. Adebayo extended his contract with Fulham for another year in July 2017.

#### Cheltenham Town (loan)

After extending his Fulham contract by 18 months, Adebayo moved on loan to League Two side Cheltenham Town in January 2018. He made his debut on 13 January in a 2–0 defeat to Accrington Stanley. He scored on 20 January in a 3–2 defeat to Mansfield Town after coming on for injured Mohamed Eisa. Adebayo scored twice in 7 appearances before his loan ended.

#### Swindon Town (loan)

On 7 July 2018, Adebayo joined League Two side Swindon Town on a season-long loan. He started his debut on 4 August in a 3–2 win over Macclesfield Town. He scored his first goal in a 3–2 victory against Tranmere Rovers on 19 August. Adebayo had a promising start at Swindon, scoring 4 goals in his first 12 appearances; however this was followed by 1 goal in 14 games. Adebayo was subsequently recalled by Fulham in January 2019, with manager Richie Wellens stating, "I was disappointed that he turned up late several times and didn’t perform to the level I expected."

#### Stevenage (loan)

On 31 January 2019 Adebayo moved on loan to Stevenage for the rest of the season. He faced a straight red card on his debut for elbowing an opposition player in a 2–0 defeat to Tranmere. Adebayo finished his loan with only 2 appearances for Stevenage.
He was released by Fulham at the end of the 2018–19 season.

### Walsall

Following his release from Fulham, Adebayo signed for League Two club Walsall in June 2019. He made his debut on 3 August, starting in a 1–0 win over Northampton Town. He scored his first goal of the season on 28 September in a 3–2 win over Crawley Town. He finished his debut Walsall season with 8 goals in 37 appearances. The season was ended early because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Adebayo extended his contract by one year in June 2020. He scored the winner in Walsall's first league match of the season, a 1–0 victory against Grimsby Town on 12 September. In January 2021, following rumours that Scottish side Heart of Midlothian had agreed terms with Adebayo, Walsall released a statement denying the claims.

### Luton Town

On 1 February 2021, Adebayo signed for Championship side Luton Town for an undisclosed fee. He scored on his first start in a 1–1 draw against Millwall on 23 February 2021. In October 2022 he took time away due to off-field problems. He suffered racist abuse in October 2022, the third time in 12 months, and again in October 2023.
On 30 January 2024, Adebayo became the first Luton Town player to score a hat-trick in the Premier League in a 4–0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion.
After picking up an injury in February, Adebayo scored on his return to the team on 3 May 2024, at home to Everton.

## Personal life

Adebayo was born in England and is of Nigerian descent.

## Style of play

Primarily a forward, Adebayo has also played as a central defender.

## Career statistics

    As of match played 15 March 2025
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition :
| Club | Season | League | League | League | FA Cup | FA Cup | EFL Cup | EFL Cup | Other | Other | Total | Total |
| Club | Season | Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Fulham | 2016–17 | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fulham | 2017–18 | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fulham | 2018–19 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| Fulham | Total | Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Slough Town (loan) | 2016–17 | Southern League Premier Division | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 5 | 11 | 6 |
| Cheltenham Town (loan) | 2017–18 | League Two | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 |
| Swindon Town (loan) | 2018–19 | League Two | 25 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 30 | 5 |
| Stevenage (loan) | 2018–19 | League Two | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Walsall | 2019–20 | League Two | 30 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 37 | 8 |
| Walsall | 2020–21 | League Two | 25 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 10 |
| Walsall | Total | Total | 55 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 65 | 18 |
| Luton Town | 2020–21 | Championship | 18 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 18 | 5 |
| Luton Town | 2021–22 | Championship | 40 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 17 |
| Luton Town | 2022–23 | Championship | 42 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 49 | 10 |
| Luton Town | 2023–24 | Premier League | 27 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 32 | 10 |
| Luton Town | 2024–25 | Championship | 37 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 39 | 5 |
| Luton Town | Total | Total | 164 | 43 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 180 | 47 |
| Career total | Career total | Career total | 259 | 69 | 14 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 16 | 6 | 295 | 78 |
* ↑ Four appearances and three goals in FA Trophy, one appearance and two goals in Berks & Bucks Senior Cup
* 1 2 3 Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
* 1 2 Appearance(s) in Championship play-offs

## Honours

Luton Town
* EFL Championship play-offs: 2023