Jay Matete

Jay Matete (born 11 February 2001) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Premier League club Sunderland.

Jay Matete

Matete warming up for Sunderland in 2022
Personal information
Full name	Jay Matete[1]
Date of birth	(2001-02-11) 11 February 2001 (age 24)[2]
Place of birth	Lambeth, London, England
Height	1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s)	Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team	Sunderland
Number	27
Youth career
0000–2018	Reading
2018–2019	Fleetwood Town
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2019–2022	Fleetwood Town	27	(1)
2021	→ Grimsby Town (loan)	20	(3)
2022–	Sunderland	22	(0)
2023	→ Plymouth Argyle (loan)	19	(1)
2024	→ Oxford United (loan)	6	(0)
2024–2025	→ Bolton Wanderers (loan)	27	(2)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 1:09, 10 March 2025 (UTC)

He was part of the youth academy at Reading before joining Fleetwood Town in 2018 and signing professional terms with them a year later. He went on to have a loan spell with Grimsby Town before joining Sunderland in 2022. He was part of the Plymouth Argyle side that won EFL League One title in 2023 following a successful loan spell.

Career

Fleetwood Town

In May 2018, Matete signed for Fleetwood Town's academy, following a spell at Reading.^[3] During the 2019–20 EFL Trophy, he made two appearances for Fleetwood Town, once against Liverpool U21 and once against Oldham Athletic.^[4]

Grimsby Town (loan)

On 21 January 2021, Matete signed for Grimsby Town on loan until the end of the 2020–21 season.^[5] During his loan spell, Matete made 20 appearances for The Mariners, scoring his first goal for the club just 32 seconds into a EFL League Two match against Bolton Wanderers which Grimsby Town won 2-1.^[6][7]

He scored the winner in a 2–1 win at Oldham Athletic, with a brilliant solo strike having run from the halfway line before hitting a shot into the top corner.^[8] A few days later, he scored again away at Exeter City to give The Mariners a 2–1 lead, but was later sent off as Grimsby eventually lost 3–2 confirming relegation from the Football League.^[9][10] The club appealed his red card but this was turned down effectively ending his season.^[11]

Sunderland

On 31 January 2022, Matete signed for fellow EFL League One side Sunderland on a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee.^{[citation needed]}

On 6 January 2023, Matete signed for Plymouth Argyle on loan until the end of the 2022–23 season.^[12][13]

On 8 August 2024, Matete signed for Bolton Wanderers on loan until the end of the 2024-25 season.^[14]

Career statistics

As of match played 1 January 2025

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		EFL Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Fleetwood Town	2019–20[15]	League One	0	0	0	0	0	0	3[a]	0	3	0
	2020–21[16]	League One	7	0	0	0	2	0	4[a]	0	13	0
	2021–22[17]	League One	20	1	1	0	1	0	3[a]	1	25	2
	Total		27	1	1	0	3	0	10	1	41	2
Grimsby Town (loan)	2020–21[16]	League Two	20	3	—		—		—		20	3
Sunderland	2021–22[17]	League One	14	0	—		—		2[b]	0	16	0
	2022–23[18]	Championship	8	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	9	0
	Total		22	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	25	0
Plymouth Argyle (loan)	2022–23[18]	League One	19	1	0	0	0	0	3[a]	0	22	1
Oxford United (loan)	2023–24[19]	League One	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	0
Bolton Wanderers (loan)	2024–25[20]	League One	21	2	1	0	3	0	5	0	30	2
Career total			115	7	2	0	7	0	20	1	144	8

1. Appearances in Football League Trophy
2. Appearances in EFL League One play-offs

Honours

Sunderland

• EFL League One play-offs: 2022^[21]

Plymouth Argyle

• EFL League One: 2022–23^[22]
• EFL Trophy runner-up: 2022–23^[23]