Joseph Michael Allen (born 14 March 1990) is a Welsh professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL Championship club Swansea City and the Wales national team.
Allen began his career at Swansea City, making his first-team debut in January 2007 at age 16. He played in 150 matches across all competitions in six years at the Liberty Stadium, also having a loan at Wrexham. During his time at Swansea, they won two promotions, going from League One to the Premier League. He also represented Great Britain at the 2012 Olympics. In the same year, he joined Liverpool for £15 million, signed by his former Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers. Allen spent four seasons at Anfield, making 132 appearances. In July 2016, he signed for Stoke City for a £13 million transfer fee. After making over 220 appearances for the Potters, he returned to Swansea in 2022.
A full international for Wales since 2009, Allen has earned over 70 caps for his nation and represented Wales at UEFA Euro 2016, helping the team reach the semi-finals, and UEFA Euro 2020. Allen also helped Wales qualify for the FIFA World Cup in 2022 for the first time since 1958.
Allen is a hard-working, tactically disciplined and tenacious—albeit not overly physical—midfielder, who is capable of aiding his team both creatively and offensively courtesy of his ability to transition the ball from defence to attack effectively after winning back possession. A versatile and gifted player with a low centre of gravity and quick feet, he is capable of playing in several midfield roles. Due to his vision, composure in possession, efficient passing and ability to dictate the tempo of his team's play in midfield as a playmaker, Allen has been described as the "Welsh Xavi" and as the "Welsh Pirlo" by his former manager at Swansea City and Liverpool, Brendan Rodgers. |
