21 Under 21: Rob Apter (Blackpool)

Episode #18 | George Elek and Ali Maxwell list the most outstanding young players in the EFL.

21 Under 21 will be released every weekday at noon in June, with paid subscribers unlocking early access to all video content.

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“A bit one-dimensional… but that dimension is incredibly effective, incredibly dangerous and incredibly valuable to a football team.” — Ali Maxwell

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Rob Apter

Blackpool

• Born: 23 April 2003

• Position: Right winger

Tranmere Rovers (on loan from Blackpool) – League Two, 2023/24:

• League appearances: 37

• League starts: 30

🍊 The trigger-happy Tangerine

There’s something pleasingly old-school about Rob Apter, the direct winger with a sensible haircut. His middle name is Julian, for goodness’ sake. But the Blackpool wide man is no touchline-hugging Stanley Matthews regen – Apter likes to shoot. And shoot. And shoot.

On loan at Tranmere, Apter registered 18 goals or assists and was named League Two’s Young Player of the Season, yet a big 2024/25 lies ahead in League One. In the basement division he could run at defenders, cut inside and score almost at will, but what if those cornball antics don’t play in the big city? Notching 12 goals from 6.55 xG is noisy… exciting, though. 

Blackpool gave him a new long-term contract in January, so can afford to be patient. The 21-year-old could be loaned late in the window to another third-tier team: his previous loans have been, chronologically, in the Northern Premier League (with Bamber Bridge), National League North (Chester), National League (Scunthorpe) and League Two – the natural progression is clear.

Whether it’s with promotion-chasing Blackpool or on secondment lower down the table, Apter has earned his shot in League One.

📈 At a glance

Pizza charts informed by match data. Each chart rates a chosen player from 0-99 across different metrics (e.g. Dribbles) according to their “percentile rank”. A 75 score shows a player outperforming 75% of other players in the dataset. Each dataset is position-specific. Negative metrics are reversed. [Credit: Riley Roberts.]

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▶️ Watch: Episode 18