Since arriving at the club on Deadline Day of the 2022 January Window from Fleetwood, Jay Matete has struggled to nail down a place in the starting eleven, and with good depth in his position, is his Sunderland Story coming to an end?
Matete arrived at the club as very much an unknown quantity, with much of the focus the day of his arrival on the return of Jermain Defoe. After a good cameo appearance on debut in a 2-1 defeat to Doncaster, he seemed to have become a staple in the Black Cats midfield, starting the next eight games as Alex Neil began to drag Sunderland back towards the play-offs.
However, towards the backend of Sunderland’s play off campaign, Matete started to rotate in and out of Neil’s side starting just four out of the last eight league games. This was mainly down to Elliott Embleton’s great form and the return of Luke O’Nien from injury. He barely featured as part of the Play-off campaign, playing just eleven minutes across the two-legged semi-finals and being unused in the final, as Sunderland returned to the Championship.
Throughout the build-up to the 2022/23 season, many expected Matete to go out on loan, with first team opportunities expected to be limited. However, he would stay to fight for his place. He could not break into the starting eleven though, with just one start during the first half of last season and not being named in the squad nine times. He did show glimpses of his ability, with the away game at Sheffield United standing out to me as one of his better performances, with him playing a key part in Lynden Gooch’s goal.
It was a no brainer for Matete to spend time away from the Stadium of Light on loan though and Plymouth was the perfect destination. He played nineteen times at Argyle and was well liked by the Home Park faithful. Despite his popularity, he only started eight of those nineteen games.
With Pierre Ekwah and Jobe Bellingham arriving since Matete’s loan spell in Devon, you really wonder how Jay fits into Mowbray’s plans and a move away from the club will certainly be on the table.
I’m sure he will be desperate to impress throughout pre-season, but you have to feel it could be best for both parties that the former Fleetwood man looks to pursue first team football elsewhere.
