Lewis Renard Baker (born 25 April 1995) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL Championship club Stoke City.
Baker joined Chelsea from Luton Town at a young age progressing through the youth teams, making his first team debut in January 2014. He gained experience out on loan at Sheffield Wednesday and Milton Keynes Dons before spending a two year loan at Dutch club Vitesse. Baker continued to go out on loan playing for Middlesbrough, Leeds United, Reading, German side Fortuna Düsseldorf and Turkish club Trabzonspor. After briefly returning to the Chelsea first team in January 2022, Baker signed for Stoke City on a permanent basis.
Club career
Chelsea
Baker joined Chelsea as a nine-year-old in 2005, having previously attended Luton Town's centre of excellence and attracted the attention of Queens Park Rangers, Charlton Athletic, Aston Villa, Derby County, Wimbledon, and Arsenal. He subsequently progressed through Chelsea's academy and reserve teams.
On 5 January 2014, Baker made his professional debut as an 87th-minute substitute for Oscar in a 2–0 FA Cup third round win over Derby County at Pride Park. On 24 April 2014, Baker scored a goal against Arsenal Under 21 in the Professional U21 Development League, which was voted to be the goal of the season.
Baker became a permanent member of Chelsea's first team squad at the beginning of the 2014–15 season. He was named on the bench for Chelsea's games against Bolton Wanderers and Shrewsbury Town in the League Cup, but he did not make an appearance in either match. Although Baker did not make a single appearance before his loan moves, Mourinho stated that he would receive a winner's medal for his contributions that season.
Loan spells
Sheffield Wednesday
On 8 January 2015, Baker was loaned to Sheffield Wednesday until 2 May 2015. He made his league debut as a second-half substitute, replacing Jacques Maghoma in the Owls' 2–0 away win at Nottingham Forest two days later. On 27 January 2015, he made his first start against Birmingham City which ended 0–0 draw. On 10 February 2015, he was recalled by his parent club after spending a month in Sheffield and making four appearances.
Milton Keynes Dons
On 25 February 2015, Baker joined Milton Keynes Dons on loan until the end of the season. After making his debut in a 2–1 loss to Coventry City, he scored his first senior goal on his second appearance for the club, in a 2–1 defeat at home to Chesterfield. On 21 March, he scored his second goal for the club during a 4–1 win at home to Notts County, keeping alive the club's chances of automatic promotion. He was earned the praise of MK Dons's manager, Karl Robinson; in his interview, Robinson stated that "he's very fortunate to have him playing for him" and that he is "one of the hardest working players he's ever worked with". On 14 April 2015 during the game against Fleetwood Town, Baker hit the crossbar in the first half; but in the second half, he scored the opening goal as MK Dons went on to win 3–0. His form, playing alongside Dele Alli in midfield, helped MK Dons gain promoted from League One by finishing the 2014–15 season as runners-Up.
Vitesse
2015–16
On 26 June 2015, Baker joined Dutch club Vitesse on a season-long loan to gain first team experience abroad. On 4 July 2015, he made his debut for Vitesse in a friendly against KV Oostende, playing the first half. He made his competitive debut 26 days later in a UEFA Europa League third qualifying round first leg against Southampton at St. Mary's, playing the full 90 minutes of a 3–0 defeat and giving away the ball to Shane Long to score the final goal. On 9 August, he made his Eredivisie debut in a 1–1 draw against Willem II where he played the full 90 minutes; five days later he scored a penalty after Ard van Peppen's handball to open a 3–0 home victory over Roda JC. On 30 August, he scored the opener of a 4–1 victory over SC Cambuur, he also had another goal ruled out. On 18 October, he again scored the opener in a 5–1 victory over PEC Zwolle. On 21 February 2016, he scored late in the game against De Graafschap, saving Vitesse from a loss to their local rivals. At the end of the season, this goal was voted Goal of the Season at the Dutch club. On 3 April he set a record for the season creating 9 chances in a single game; he also scored a magnificent free-kick from 27 yards, but his performance was not enough to save Vitesse from a 2–1 loss against NEC Nijmegen.