Jon Sammels
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Jonathon Charles "Jon" Sammels (born July 23, 1945) is an English former footballer.
Born in Ipswich, Sammels joined Arsenal, the club he supported as a boy, in 1961. He was a regular in the reserves and a successful youth international for England, before his first-team debut for the Gunners on April 27, 1963. However, he did not secure a place in the side until the departure of Geoff Strong, and later George Eastham. A skilful central midfielder with an accurate passing foot and a strong shot, he had become a regular by the 1966-67 season, and played in both of Arsenal's League Cup final defeats in 1968 and 1969, and the 1970 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup final, scoring Arsenal's winning goal in their 4-3 victory over RSC Anderlecht.
However, Sammels lost his first team place in the 1970-71 season, thanks to an ankle injury and the emergence of George Graham; although he played enough games to win a First Division winner's medal, he did not take part in the Gunners' FA Cup win that completed their Double-winning season. Sammels submitted a transfer request, and he was duly sold to Leicester City. In all he played 270 matches for Arsenal, scoring 52 goals.
Sammels was a regular in the Leicester side for the next seven seasons, playing 265 matches for the Foxes, scoring 25 goals. Under Jimmy Bloomfield, Leicester were a talented and exciting side, but the only trophy they won was the 1971 Charity Shield, and they never finished above seventh in the League. Sammels left Leicester on a free transfer in 1978, and played for the Vancouver Whitecaps in the NASL for a single season. After that, he retired from the game and returned to the UK. He now works as a driving instructor in Leicester.
