What’s happened to Tom Lawrence after Derby County and Rangers? | OneFootball

Tom Lawrence is looking for a positive 2026-27 season at Perth Glory after leaving English football back in 2022.

Tom Lawrence was once a genuine star of the EFL and promised to be a player who could eventually be a Premier League regular but he instead finds himself ‘down under’ in Australia.

The EFL has seen many a tale of a rising star come through the ranks only to not fulfil the promise and potential that they had shown as a young player; but Tom Lawrence is someone who showcased his abilities on a regular basis at a decent level in the Championship.

The Wrexham-born attacker is far from done and dusted in his career and his current story is not one of ‘what if’ but ‘where’ and ‘how’, given he has fallen off the radar in terms of an English and UK audience in recent times.

Still only 32, this is a look at where the Manchester United academy graduate has got to and how he has found himself there – and what he himself feels about it and his career.

The rise of Tom Lawrence in the EFL

Having come through the academy at Manchester United, Tom Lawrence even earned a Premier League appearance for The Red Devils – starting in a 3-1 defeat of Hull City under the management of fellow Welshman Ryan Giggs after loan stints at Carlisle United and Yeovil Town in the 2013-14 campaign.

In Cumbria, Lawrence asserted himself very briefly as a key man in League One before stepping up and doing much of the same with a Yeovil side playing way above their level and expectation in the second-tier, with form for The Glovers earning him his only United appearance under Giggs upon his return to Manchester.

That summer saw change at Old Trafford and so Leicester City, newly-promoted to the Premier League, swooped into sign him before loan moves to Rotherham United, Blackburn Rovers and Cardiff City.

It wasn’t until a loan stint at Ipswich Town did Lawrence re-establish himself as a real prospect capable of regularly contributing with goals and assists in the second-tier, a year after Leicester had won the Premier League title.

With The Tractor Boys, he hit double figures for goals as they finished 16th – with Lawrence the key man and their top scorer both in the league and across all competitions.

As a result of Leicester’s shift in ambitions and Lawrence’s clear desire for continued regular football, he moved across the East Midlands to join Derby County, where he truly began to flourish once more.

Becoming key at Derby and then moving on to Rangers

In the 2017-18 season, Derby finished in the play-offs under Gary Rowett and his conservative style of football that was reliant on moments of magic in the final third – and Lawrence provided a few of those.

The followings season saw the arrivals of a few other key attackers to provide competition for places under Frank Lampard, such as Mason Mount, Duane Holmes and Harry Wilson; but Lawrence more than played his part in helping The Rams reach the play-off final with Lampard’s attacking style suited to Lawrence.

Departures of Lampard, Wilson and Mount saw Lawrence take on more responsibility and further establish himself as a key man for Derby, eventually becoming captain in the 2021-22 season – a season which would see him hit double figures for goals for a second time at Pride Park but one in which did end in relegation.

Following their relegation to League One and Lawrence clearly being of a level way above, he moved away from England joined Scottish giants Rangers.

An injury-plagued debut campaign at Ibrox had its fleeting moments of quality from Lawrence but those moments remained fleeting even when given more regular game time in the next couple of seasons.

In a tough and high pressure environment in Scotland, Lawrence maintained his ability to produce moments of magic and score some brilliant goals but without the consistency that he had grew into possessing at Derby.

A move away from the UK for Tom Lawrence

Having left Rangers at the end of the 2024-25 campaign, the Wales international joined Australian A-League strugglers Perth Glory in October 2025.

In his first 13 games for the Western Australians, Lawrence scored five goals and provided a couple of assists with his first ever hat-trick coming in a 3-1 defeat of Melbourne City in December.

However, a foot injury saw his season curtailed early as Perth stumbled their way to a tenth placed finish in the 12-team league under Adam Griffiths, who had replaced David Zdrilic just a couple of weeks after Lawrence’s arrival at HBF Park.

His contract has been renewed despite his injury and he will be expected to form a key part of the Perth side that look to majorly improve this season.

Of his journey and current situation, Lawrence recently gave an interview that discussed his comfort with the decision to depart the UK and play his football elsewhere.

Lawrence said: “It’s something I’ve thoroughly enjoyed. I mean, having played 15 years in the UK, in England, in Scotland; I felt the time was right to try something new and I’m glad I did that.”

Having made a positive start to life at Glory, Lawrence was left frustrated by his injury that curtailed his campaign but is now back fit and seemingly keen to hit the ground running:

“It was disappointing but look I had to think of the long-term and the club also thought that they wanted me for this season and didn’t want to put any of that in doubt so look I’m back in training now and looking forward.”

Content with his decision and excited about the future, Lawrence would perhaps be seen by many as a bit young to be in the latter stage of his career, given how many players of his ability and his age are thriving in the Championship at least.

However, rather than a case of unfulfilled potential but more a curious and rare one whereby a player left the EFL way before they were perhaps expected to or needed to at the age of 28 when he did depart Pride Park.