It became pretty clear pretty quickly after he arrived that young midfielder Alex Matos was far too good for development-level football.
The 19-year-old, who joined Chelsea from Norwich City’s academy last summer, started the season in the under-21s then became a regular on the first-team bench as autumn turned to winter, making a couple short cameos as well to collect his first two senior appearances. In January, he headed out on loan, joining Huddersfield Town, who were struggling at the wrong end of the Championship.
Matos was unfortunately unable to save the Terriers from relegation, but it was still a successful loan on a personal level. He played in 20 of the 21 games he was available for, starting 16, scoring once but most importantly gaining some invaluable experiences for his own development.
“It was good for me, I played a lot of games, got a lot of minutes and it was a great experience for me.
“My objective was to go out and play a lot of minutes in a good league in the Championship. Despite the disappointment of relegation, it was a really good experience and I learned a lot. Every point means something, every goal means something and it’s hugely important. It’s a tough environment, but the senior players at Huddersfield helped me a lot and I learned a lot from them.”
“It was tough at the start, but gradually I adapted to my new living environment and learned to live by myself. Fortunately, my family came to pretty much every home game that I played and they were really supportive of me. I really enjoyed my time there. The stadium, the supporters, the people and staff – everyone welcomed me as soon as I got to the club. I’m very grateful for the experience.”
Matos will likely head out on another loan this summer, perhaps back to the Championship once again. He recently made his England U20 debut as well.
