Alex Mighten

Alex Mighten
Personal information
Full name Alexander Cole Mighten[1]
Date of birth (2002-04-11) 11 April 2002 (age 22)[2]
Place of birth Hartford, Connecticut, United States[3]
Height 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)[2]
Position(s) Winger
Team information
Current team
 Nordsjælland
(on loan from San Diego FC)
Number 37
Youth career
200?–2009 Arnold Town
2009–2019 Nottingham Forest
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2019–2024 Nottingham Forest 56 (4)
2022–2023 → Sheffield Wednesday (loan) 9 (1)
2023–2024 → KV Kortrijk (loan) 10 (0)
2024 → Port Vale (loan) 10 (0)
2024– San Diego FC 0 (0)
2024– → Nordsjælland (loan) 0 (0)
International career
2016 England U15
2017 England U16 9 (1)
2017–2019 England U17 7 (2)
2019 England U18 9 (4)
2021 England U20 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 12:02, 17 March 2024 (UTC)

Alexander Cole Mighten (born 11 April 2002) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for Danish Superliga club Nordsjælland, on loan from Major League Soccer club San Diego FC. Born in the United States, he represented England at youth international level.

Mighten joined Nottingham Forest from Arnold Town in 2009 and made his professional debut in September 2019. He was an unused substitute in the 2022 EFL Championship play-off final and made his Premier League debut in August of that year. He joined League One side Sheffield Wednesday on loan for the first half of the 2022–23 season and spent the first half of the 2023–24 season on loan at Belgian club KV Kortrijk, before being loaned to Port Vale for the second half of the campaign. He signed with San Diego FC of Major League Soccer in August 2024 and was immediately loaned out to Danish club FC Nordsjælland.

Early life

Alexander Cole Mighten was born on 11 April 2002 in Hartford, Connecticut, United States, while his father, Eddie Mighten, worked for ESPN.[3][4] His family returned to Nottingham, England when he was three years old.[4] His brother, David, played college soccer at Medaille College in Buffalo, New York.[5]

Club career

Nottingham Forest

Mighten joined the Nottingham Forest academy in 2009 after previously playing for Arnold Town.[6] During his development in the club's Academy, Mighten received support from former Forest players Des Walker and David Johnson, as well as from Academy manager Gary Brazil.[7] On 24 September 2019, Mighten made his professional debut when he appeared as a 78th-minute substitute during a 5–0 loss in an EFL Cup fixture at Arsenal.[8] He signed his first professional contract three months later.[9] He then made his first start for the Reds on 5 January 2020, in a 2–0 defeat to Chelsea in an FA Cup match; Mighten impressed in the game, winning a penalty for Forest only for it to be ruled out by a marginal VAR decision.[10] He made his league debut on 22 February, in a 0–0 draw with Queens Park Rangers at the City Ground.[11] He went on to make a total of eight Championship appearances by the end of the 2019–20 season.[12]

In August 2020, Mighten signed a new contract extension to keep him at the club until June 2025.[13] He scored his first professional goal in a 1–1 draw at Millwall on 19 December.[14] He scored further goals against Blackburn Rovers and Queens Park Rangers, ending the 2020–21 campaign with three goals in 27 appearances as he saw gametime under both Sabri Lamouchi and Chris Hughton.[15][16][17] Supporters named him the club's Young Player of the Season.[18] He again played 27 games in the 2021–22 season, this time scoring once against Swansea City, and also featured once in the play-off semi-finals and was an unused substitute in the play-off final win over Huddersfield Town at Wembley Stadium.[19][20]

On 29 August 2022, Mighten joined League One club Sheffield Wednesday on a season-long loan.[21] He made his debut a day later against Bradford City in the EFL Trophy, playing 80 minutes.[22] His first goal at Hillsborough came against Morecambe in the FA Cup.[23] He returned to Nottingham Forest on 10 January 2023 having played 14 times and scoring two goals, at times playing out of position at wing-back and centre-forward.[24][25] Wednesday decided to end the loan as they were contributing a significant portion of the player's wages, much to Forest manager Steve Cooper's frustration.[26][27] As Mighten had already played for Forest and Wednesday in the 2022–23 season, this left him unable to join another club on loan and gametime for Forest in the Premier League was an unreaslitic prospect.[28][29] Wednesday manager Darren Moore said that "it was one of the hardest decisions that I have had to make since becoming a manager".[30]

On 5 September 2023, Mighten moved on a season-long loan to KV Kortrijk, who were bottom of the Belgian Pro League.[31] He featured 12 times in all competitions during a four-month stay at the Guldensporen Stadion. However, eight of his league appearances were from the substitute bench.[32] After being recalled by Forest on 9 January 2024, Mighten remained in Nottingham until transfer deadline day, when he was loaned to League One side Port Vale for the remainder of the 2023–24 season.[33] David Flitcroft, the club's director of football, said that "we look forward to watching Alex grow both on and off the pitch throughout his time with the club and with Andy Crosby's team".[34] However, Mighten missed four weeks due to a foot injury picked up in mid-March.[35]

San Diego FC

On 30 August 2024, Mighten signed with Major League Soccer side San Diego FC ahead of their inaugural season in 2025.[36] Sporting director Tyler Heaps described his "unique and special qualities".[37] The following day he joined Danish Superliga club Nordsjælland on loan for the remainder of the calendar year.[38]

International career

Mighten first represented England at under-15 level.[4] He scored a hat-trick against Australia for the under-18 team.[6] Mighten received his first call-up to the under-19 squad in March 2021.[39] On 6 September 2021, Mighten made his debut for the under-20 side in a 6–1 victory over Romania at St. George's Park.[40] As Mighten was born in Hartford, Connecticut, United States, he is also eligible to represent the United States.[4]

Style of play

A versatile player, his main position is as a winger, where he utilises his extreme pace and one-on-one ability.[41]

Career statistics

As of match played 16 March 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup League cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Nottingham Forest 2019–20[12] Championship 8 0 1 0 1 0 — 10 0
2020–21[15] Championship 24 3 2 0 1 0 — 27 3
2021–22[19] Championship 23 1 1 0 2 0 1[a] 0 27 1
2022–23[42] Premier League 1 0 — 2 0 — 3 0
2023–24[43] Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
2024–25[44] Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
Total 56 4 4 0 6 0 1 0 67 4
Sheffield Wednesday (loan) 2022–23[42] League One 9 1 2 1 — 3[b] 0 14 2
KV Kortrijk (loan) 2023–24[2] Belgian Pro League 10 0 2 0 — — 12 0
Port Vale (loan) 2023–24[43] League One 10 0 — — — 10 0
Nordsjælland (loan) 2024–25[2] Danish Superliga 0 0 0 0 — — 0 0
San Diego FC 2025[2] Major League Soccer 0 0 0 0 — — 0 0
Career totals 85 5 8 1 6 0 4 0 103 6
  1. ^ Appearances in play-offs
  2. ^ Appearances in EFL Trophy

Honours

Nottingham Forest

References

  1. ^ "Club list of registered players: As at 19th May 2019" (PDF). English Football League. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d e Alex Mighten at Soccerway
  3. ^ a b Dell'Apa, Frank (24 October 2018). "Could a Connecticut-born player break through at Nottingham Forest?". New England Soccer Journal. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d Sciaretta, Brian (5 March 2021). "ASN: Hartford-born Mighten enjoys awaited breakthrough at Nottingham Forest". www.americansoccernow.com. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  5. ^ Wobschall, Leon (3 September 2022). "Sheffield Wednesday's Alex Mighten on the role of his analyst dad in his career to date". The Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  6. ^ a b Lamb, Ethan (8 June 2022). "Alex Mighten: Nottingham Forest's latest academy star". VAVEL. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  7. ^ Taylor, Paul. "Forest must do all they can to bring Mighten and Johnson through to first team". The Athletic. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  8. ^ "Emery praises 'fighter' Martinelli". BBC Sport. 24 September 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  9. ^ "Nottingham Forest FC". Nottingham Forest Football Club. 13 December 2019. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  10. ^ Clapson, Sarah (5 January 2020). "Forest fans react to VAR call in FA Cup clash with Chelsea". Nottinghamshire Live. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  11. ^ Phillips, Owen (22 February 2020). "Forest held to goalless draw by QPR". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  12. ^ a b "Games played by Alex Mighten in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  13. ^ "Mighten pens new contract". www.nottinghamforest.co.uk. 24 August 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  14. ^ "Forest hit back to draw with Millwall". BBC Sport. 19 December 2020. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  15. ^ a b "Games played by Alex Mighten in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  16. ^ "Nottingham Forest: Sabri Lamouchi sheds light on his plans for Alex Mighten". thisisfutbol.com. 5 September 2020. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  17. ^ "Alex Mighten grasping 'good opportunity' to fire Forest forward – Chris Hughton". fourfourtwo.com. 2 April 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  18. ^ Clarke, Lee (10 May 2021). "Alex Mighten claims Nottingham Forest award - now Chris Hughton must make him integral". Nottingham Forest News. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  19. ^ a b "Games played by Alex Mighten in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  20. ^ a b Woodcock, Ian (29 May 2022). "Forest return to Premier League after 23-year wait". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  21. ^ "Alex Mighten joins Owls on loan". Sheffield Wednesday FC. 29 August 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  22. ^ "Gaffer pleased with Mighten capture". Sheffield Wednesday FC. 31 August 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  23. ^ "Happy it hit the back of the net!". Sheffield Wednesday FC. 4 November 2022. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
  24. ^ "Mighten returns to Forest". www.swfc.co.uk. 10 January 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  25. ^ Charlesworth, Ricky (28 December 2022). "Nottingham Forest loanee Alex Mighten set Sheffield Wednesday challenge by Moore". Yorkshire Live. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  26. ^ Miller, Alex (11 January 2023). "Reason behind Alex Mighten's Sheffield Wednesday exit revealed after Nottingham Forest return". Sheffield Star. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  27. ^ Clapson, Sarah (12 January 2023). "Nottingham Forest boss frustrated with Owls' decision to end Mighten loan". Nottinghamshire Live. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  28. ^ Clapson, Sarah (9 June 2023). "Mighten at a crossroads as Nottingham Forest decision looms". Nottinghamshire Live. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  29. ^ Charlesworth, Ricky (10 January 2023). "Sheffield Wednesday set to wave goodbye to Mighten as history repeats itself". Yorkshire Live. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  30. ^ Miller, Alex (13 January 2023). ""To look him in the face.." Sheffield Wednesday boss responds to Alex Mighten cut and Nottingham Forest frustration". Sheffield Star. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  31. ^ "Alexander Mighten Op Huurbasis Naar Kvk". KV Kortrijk (in Dutch). Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  32. ^ Clapson, Sarah (1 February 2024). "Nottingham Forest youngster Mighten completes loan move". Nottinghamshire Live. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  33. ^ "Port Vale sign Mighten & Lopata on loan". BBC Sport. 1 February 2024. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  34. ^ "Mighten loaned to Port Vale". Nottingham Forest Football Club. 1 February 2024. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  35. ^ Baggaley, Mike (7 April 2024). "Improving Vale out of drop zone with hard-earned Wigan point". Valiant's Substack. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  36. ^ "Mighten departs". Nottingham Forest FC. 30 August 2024. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  37. ^ "San Diego FC acquire Alex Mighten from Nottingham Forest | MLSSoccer.com". mlssoccer. 31 August 2024. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  38. ^ "FC Nordsjælland lejer Alex Mighten" [FC Nordsjælland rents Alex Mighten]. www.fcn.dk (in Danish). 31 August 2024. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  39. ^ "England Mu19s Squad Set for Training Camp at St. George's Park". The FA. 19 March 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  40. ^ Veevers, Nicholas. "England MU20s beat Romania by 6-1 at St. George's Park in their 2021-22 season opener". englandfootball.com. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  41. ^ Baggaley, Mike (1 February 2024). "Mighten signs as Vale look at more transfer deadline day business". Valiant's Substack. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
  42. ^ a b "Games played by Alex Mighten in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  43. ^ a b "Games played by Alex Mighten in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  44. ^ "Games played by Alex Mighten in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  • Profile at the Nottingham Forest F.C. website