Ryan Shotton

Shotton signed a three-year contract with newly relegated Championship club Middlesbrough on 30 August 2017; the fee was undisclosed, though was widely reported as £3 million.

Shotton joined fellow Championship club Birmingham City on 28 January 2016 on loan until the end of the season. He made his debut on 13 February, replacing Paul Caddis at right back for the goalless draw at Rotherham United. He played in the next two matches before Caddis was restored to the starting eleven. His next appearance was five weeks later away at Reading; he started the match at centre back alongside Michael Morrison, and scored Birmingham's second goal in their 2–0 win after 27 minutes when David Cotterill's free kick was parried by Reading's goalkeeper. Playing in his preferred position and hoping for a permanent move, Shotton kept his place for the next five matches, and succeeded in impressing manager Gary Rowett to the extent that he would consider making an offer for the player if he were available.

Shotton signed a three-year contract with Birmingham City on 30 June 2016. The fee was undisclosed, but was later reported to be around £300,000. He began the season partnering Morrison at the centre of a back four; he felt they worked well together, and the pair established themselves as a strong defensively sound pairing. Rowett commented that Shotton's athleticism enabled the team to defend higher up the pitch and that his concentration and decision-making were improving. The following week, Shotton admitted responsibility for slack marking that allowed Steven Caulker to score an equaliser for Queens Park Rangers, and then produced a fine performance as Birmingham drew 1–1 in the local derby against newly relegated Aston Villa in October – with his dreadlocks dyed blue for the occasion. He scored twice in the first half of the season: the opening goal in a 2–2 draw at home to Preston North End and Birmingham's second goal away to Brentford at the end of November that secured a 2–1 win. After that match, Rowett praised Shotton's progress both in terms of concentration and as Morrison's defensive partner – both had played every minute of the campaign thus far – but reminded him that he needed to remain focused in training as well as on the pitch.

At the start of the 2013–14 season, Shotton failed to make force his way into new manager Mark Hughes' plans. A permanent transfer to Wigan Athletic fell through, but he joined the Championship club on loan until 2 January 2014. He made 14 appearances for the Latics, scoring once, in a 2–0 victory against Ipswich Town on 22 September.

On 25 August 2014, Shotton joined Derby County on loan with a view to a permanent deal. He made the move permanent on 1 January 2015, signing a two-and-a-half-year contract for an undisclosed fee.

Two weeks later, with the team just outside the play-off positions, Rowett was replaced by Gianfranco Zola, who retained Shotton and Morrison as his central defenders of choice in a three-man back line. In early February, Morrison underwent a hernia operation that was to keep him out until the last two matches of the season, and Shotton himself missed three matches with a groin injury. On his return, he played alongside a variety of defenders as Birmingham slipped towards relegation. Zola's replacement by Harry Redknapp with three matches left coincided with Morrison's return to the team, and in a final fixture that Shotton later compared to soldiers in the trenches, the pair helped Birmingham keep a clean sheet away to Bristol City to protect a 1–0 lead and secure Championship survival. He finished the season with 43 league appearances, more than any other Birmingham player.

Shotton was charged with assault at a nightclub in Hanley in June 2012. He was found not guilty in December 2012.

Shotton signed a two-year contract extension in September 2010 keeping him at the Britannia Stadium until 2013. He made his first appearance on the Stoke bench for a league game against Wigan Athletic in December 2010. He made his home debut for Stoke in an FA Cup match against Cardiff City on 8 January 2011 and played the full 90 minutes. He described it as one of the proudest moments of his life.

He made his Premier League debut for Stoke in a 0–0 draw with Blackpool at Bloomfield Road on 30 April 2011. Shotton appeared to have scored his first goal for Stoke in a 1–0 win over Hajduk Split in the UEFA Europa League where he was playing as a makeshift centre forward, but the goal was officially recorded as an own goal. He did score in the 89th minute of the Premier League match against West Bromwich Albion on 28 August to secure a 1–0 win, and scored in the Europa League against Maccabi Tel Aviv on 20 October. Shotton signed a new four-year contract with Stoke in November 2011. He made his first Premier League start for Stoke on 3 December, in an away win over Everton where he played at right midfield in place of Jermaine Pennant, and said that the first half of the season could not have gone better for him.

He was named Stoke's Young Player of the Season for 2011–12, despite an indifferent run of form after Christmas until the end of the season, and he began 2012–13 out of the first team frame. But following injuries to Marc Wilson and Andy Wilkinson, Shotton had the opportunity to return to the starting line-up in November 2012. He was warned by manager Tony Pulis that he needed to "get his head together" to remain in the side. He played 26 times for Stoke in 2012–13, as the Potters finished in 13th position, and often came in for criticism from supporters.

Born in Fenton, Staffordshire, Shotton joined his local league side, Stoke City, where he progressed through the youth ranks and was handed a professional contract in 2007. He then moved on loan to Altrincham of the Conference National, where he spent most of the 2007–08 season. He began at centre back before slotting into the right-back position, and he also played some matches as a forward, scoring five goals. Shotton won the Supporters' Player of the Year award for his performances on loan at Altrincham. He made his debut for Stoke on 26 August 2008 in a 3–2 victory over Cheltenham Town in the League Cup, coming on as a substitute in the 90th minute.

He then joined League One club Tranmere Rovers on a one-month loan on 29 August 2008, and made his debut four days later, at home to Accrington Stanley in a 1–0 win in the Football League Trophy. He scored his first goal for Tranmere away at Huddersfield Town, heading in the winner to clinch a 2–1 victory. His loan at Rovers was extended until the end of the 2008–09 season. On 23 September 2009 Shotton and teammate Carl Dickinson joined Championship side Barnsley on loan for three months. Both spent the entire season with the club, and Shotton made 30 appearances.

Shotton progressed through the Stoke City Academy and signed a professional contract in 2007. He went on loan to Altrincham, Tranmere Rovers and Barnsley respectively to gain first team experience. He broke into the Stoke squad towards the end of the 2010–11 season. He played in the UEFA Europa League in 2011–12 scoring against Maccabi Tel Aviv. In September 2013 Shotton joined Wigan Athletic on loan. He then joined Derby County on loan in August 2014 before completing a permanent move in January 2015. In 2016, he spent time on loan at Birmingham City, and signed for them permanently in June of that year, before moving on to Middlesbrough in August 2017.

Ryan Colin Shotton (born 30 October 1988) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for EFL Championship club Middlesbrough.