Born on a bleak January day in 1994, the rather unassuming figure of Tom Lawrence entered the world. Hailing from the equally unassuming land of Wales, the well-travelled Lawrence found his calling as a central attacking midfielder, gracing the pitch primarily for Rangers. This 5ft 10in specimen (that's 1.8m for the disciples of metric) carries a sturdy 11st 11lb (or 75kg) frame which is neatly packed into a number 11 jersey. With a CV that lists Manchester United and the Wales national team, Tom isn't exactly an amateur.
November 2013 saw our cherub-faced Tom transferred from Manchester United to Carlisle United. Hardly a dream move, but he made it work by netting three goals in nine first team appearances. He barely had time to unpack before zipping off to Yeovil Town in January 2014. Nineteen appearances and two goals later, it was clearly time for him to move on.
In September 2014, he must have thought he’d hit the big time, transferring to Leicester City for an impressive £1.2m. However, immigrant expectations came crashing down, as he made a pitiful three appearances in his debut season. Perseverance was key as Lawrence paraded across England as a loan figure for Rotherham United, Blackburn Rovers, Cardiff City, and Ipswich Town, blissfully racking up decent appearances and a smattering of goals.
In August 2017, Lawrence finally found a home in Derby County, secured for a modest fee of £5m. Embracing the stability, he made a comfortable nest, making appearances and scoring goals like clockwork from 2017 to 2022. However, it seems even this wasn't enough to quench our ever-wandering Tom's thirst for new pastures.
Then in July 2022, he found himself in the familiar blue of Rangers, our Celtic adversaries. And there he stays, a fixture amongst the Rangers line-up, with a splash of performances in the League Cup, Scottish Cup, Europa League, Champions League Qualifiers, and more Europa League action to boot. Goals or no goals, Lawrence seems to be gone from Derby but he's certainly not forgotten... primarily because he's always waiting for us on the other side of Scotland.
So, here’s to you, Tom Lawrence, the merry wanderer of English and Scottish football. We may not always appreciate running into you on the pitch, but we can certainly admire your journey from the comfort of our living rooms.
