Byram: Samuel Mark (Sam)

2012-Current (Leeds Player Details) (Player Details)

Right Back

Born: Thurrock, Essex: 16-09-1993

Debut: v Shrewsbury Town (h): 11-08-2012

5' 11' 11st 5lb (2012)

Born in Essex he was educated in York and attended Ralph Butterfield Primary School, Haxby, and then Joseph Rowntree School, representing the City Schoolboys' team. A product of the Leeds United Academy he became an apprentice in the 2010-11 season and played in the Juniors. In May 2012 he was one of five young Leeds players who were offered full time professional contracts. As a second year apprentice he arrived for the new season of 2012-13 expecting to be playing with the Juniors, but due to the protracted negotiations for the transfer of Lee Peltier and an injury to Tom Lees and the reluctance to play transfer-listed Paul Connolly, Byram found himself in the first-team squad in the pre-season training and preparations. He came on as a second half substitute in United's first pre-season friendly with Farsley AFC at Throstle Nest on 24th July 2012. Twenty-four hours later he was in the "Juniors" once more as they won 2-0 at Alfreton Town. He went with the first-team on their tour of Devon and Cornwall and was a sixty-eighth minute substitute for trialist Martin Crainie, who was a former Coventry City and England Under Twenty-One defender, in 6-0 win over Tavistock on 23rd July 2012. Two days later he found himself as a seventy-seventh minute substitute for Tom Lees in the 4-0 win over Bodmin Town. He then came on at the start of the second half as a replacement for Martin Crainie against Torquay United in a 2-1 win on 27th July 2012. Byram was taken on the trip to Norway and came on as a sixty-eighth minute substitute for Tom Lees in the only game in a 1-1 draw with Sandefjord on 1st August 2012. He was allocated the No.25 shirt in the Leeds squad. He was next included in the squad for the 3-1 win over Preston North End at Deepdale on 4th August 2012, when he came on as a thirtieth minute substitute for Patrick Kisnorbo and the Leeds defence of Kenny; Byram, Lees, Pearce and White looked like United's best defensive combination. Leeds scored three tremendous goals in the game and Byram scored the second in the sixty-sixth minute, as Paul Green found him from a corner and the young full-back scored with a well struck shot. Lee Peltier had finally signed for Leeds and he was given his chance on 7th August 2012 in the 1-0 win at Burton Albion, but once more Byram came on as a sixty-seventh minute substitute for Jason Pearce, with Byram going to right-back and Patrick Kisnorbo, who came on for Peltier, switching to central defence. Tom Lees picked up an injury leading up to United's first game of the season at home to Shrewsbury Town in the League Cup on 11th August 2012. This meant that Lee Peltier was moved to central defence in preference to Patrick Kisnorbo and Byram made his debut at Right-Back, with Kisnorbo sitting om the bench. Byram played a full game as United ran out 4-0 winners. He made his League debut the following Ssaturday in United's first game of the new season. He signed a new three-year contract after the game. He scored his first goal on 28th August 2012 in the League Cup match at Elland Road against Oxford United, showing good ball skills to beat two Oxford defenders before chipping the keeper in the thirty-fourth minute. He scored his first League goal on 2nd October 2012 against Bolton Wanderers at the Reebok Stadium. He scored further goals at Leicester City on 5th March 2013 and a week later at home to Peterborough United to bring his League tally to three and four for the season. He firmly established himself as a first team regular and on 26th January 2013 he signed a new contract which kept him at the club until 2016. He did, however, attract the attention of several EPL sides, but publicly stated he wished to remain at Leeds and gain promotion. He won the YEP "Player of the Year", the club's "Player of the Year" award and "Young Player of the Year" award, as well as the Supporters' Club "Player of the Year" award. On 17th May 2013 he was called up to the England Under-Twenty team for the 2013 FIFA World Cup games in Turkey, but had to withdraw due to a hip injury. The same injury kept him from taking part in the club's pre-season games. He was forced to undergo surgery and it was thought that he could miss several months while recovering. This was not the case and he made his comeback as a substitutein a 1-2 defeat at Burnley on 21st September 2013, managing fifty-seven minutes playing time. He played a full game in the ensuing game as United went down 0-2 at St James' Park to Newcastle United in the League Cup, but while featuring on a regular basis, he kept picking up niggling injuries and missed the final six games of the season as hit was restricted to seventeen starts and eight games from the bench in the League. He was given the number two shirt for the 2014-15 season and Leeds were soon fending off a £4.5million bid from Southampton for his services. Once more a regular first choice at right back, he missed three games due to a red card in a 1-4 defeat at Watford, but he regained his spot after playing two games as a substitute. A tactical change in the Leeds formation by coach Neil Redfearn saw him take a more attacking role of right winger with Scott Wootton being given the defensive duties at right back. The more advanced role saw him score goals in the 2-1 win at Huddersfield on 31st January 2015, at Reading in a 2-0 on 10th February and another at Fulham in a 3-0 win on 18th March to give him three for the season. Like several Leeds youngsters,including Lewis Cook, Charlie Taylor and Alex Mowatt, he was the subject of much transfer speculation in the following off-season with reported bids from Sunderland, of £4.5m and then £6m, and also Liverpool with a reported £8m bid. He started the new season in the forward role as Uwe Rosler employed a 4-3-3 system and the club staved off more interest from EPL clubs as Byram was to play an important role in the club's plans. He missed his penalty in the shoot-out defeat by Doncaster Rovers in the League Cup on 12th August 2015 and he refused to sign a new contract that had been put to him by Massimo Cellino. It was, in fact, inferior to his present terms and a second offer proved to be only on similar terms to his present deal with an extension of one year. He scored twice in a 3-2 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux on 17th December 2015 and followed this with a goal that salvaged a draw at Nottingham Forest on 27th December 2015. In early January 2016, he was named as Championship Player of the Month for December 2015. On 7th January 2016, Steve Evans revealed that clubs were interested in Byram, but, as yet, there had been no concrete offers. On 20th January 2016 Byram joined West Ham United on a four and a half year contract for a fee rumoured to be £3.7 million. He had scored ten goals in one hundred and forty-three appearances for Leeds. He made his debut for the Hammers as a thirteenth minute substitute for Carl Jenkinson in a 2-2 home draw with Manchester City on 23rd January 2016. He came on as a sixty-first minute substitute for James Tomkins in a 0-1 defeat at Southampton on 6th February 2016. He made his starting debut and played the full game in a 2-2 draw at Norwich City on 13th February 2016 and there was another full game in a 1-0 home win over Sunderland a fortnight later, but it proved to be his final appearance of the season.