| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jonathon Charles Sammels | ||
| Date of birth | 23 July 1945 | ||
| Place of birth | Ipswich, Suffolk, England | ||
| Playing position | Central midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1961–1963 | Arsenal | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1963–1971 | Arsenal | 215 | (39) |
| 1971–1977 | Leicester City | 236 | (21) |
| 1978–1979 | Vancouver Whitecaps | 54 | (7) |
| 1979–1980 | Nuneaton Borough | ||
| National team | |||
| 1962–1963 | England youth | 7 (?) | |
| ? | England U23 | 9 (?) | |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Jonathon Charles "Jon" Sammels (born 23 July 1945 in Ipswich, Suffolk) is an English former footballer.
Sammels joined Arsenal, the club he supported as a boy, in 1961. He was a regular in the reserves and a successful youth international winning seven caps for England. He scored on his first-team debut for the Gunners on 27 April 1963, against Blackpool. However, he only played sparingly — twice in 1963-64 and not at all in 1964-65 — and did not secure a place in the side until the departure of Geoff Strong, and later George Eastham.
Noted for his accurate passing and strong shooting, he broke through in 1965-66 and was an ever-present in the 1966-67 season. As well as being a regular for Arsenal, Sammels played for the England U23 side nine times. He played in both of Arsenal's League Cup final defeats in 1968 and 1969, before finally claiming a medal in the 1970 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup; he scored Arsenal's winning goal in their 4-3 victory on aggregate over RSC Anderlecht, after Arsenal had trailed 3-1 after the first leg.
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 Final win over Liverpool that completed their Double-winning season. Sammels submitted a transfer request, and he was duly sold to Leicester City for £100,000. 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.