How Sunderland loanee Jay Matete is doing so far at Bolton after taking 'perfect opportunity'

Sunderland sanctioned the move of multiple players over the summer, including five loan exits. Among those who have left the club on temporary deals is Jay Matete, who has signed for Bolton Wanderers until the end of the season.

The Trotters brought in a strong list of new players during the summer window from a range of different leagues around the world including the Bundesliga, the MLS and Hungary’s NB I. Matete joined Bolton and left on his third loan exit from Sunderland since signing for the club in 2022.

Following his move, the 23-year-old described it as a ‘perfect opportunity’ to get his career back on the right track. Matete has struggled for a regular spot with Sunderland over the years and he wants to ‘kickstart’ things with this new move.

Following his signing, manager Ian Evatt said: “Jay is a player that we have been aware of for a long time. I first took notice of him when he was at Grimsby at the end of our League Two promotion season, and we have been following his career ever since. We were interested in him before he went to Sunderland, so we’re very excited to be working with him now.

“He has been with teams that have been promoted out of this league for the last three years, so he has good experience in knowing what it takes, and he brings a different profile and skill set to our other midfielders. He knows a lot of our staff well too, including Stephen Crainey who worked with him at Fleetwood. For Jay, it’s a great challenge and opportunity to show what he can do in a Bolton shirt.”

Since his move to the Toughsheet Community Stadium, Matete has played in every one of Bolton’s fixtures across all competitions this season, including two starts in League One and two starts in the Carabao Cup. The midfielder has played mainly a central role but he has also slipped into a more attacking position when called upon.

The Wanderers fell short of promotion last season when they were knocked out of the play-off final by Oxford United. Returning to a similar position in on the radar once again for Evatt and his team but Bolton are currently 13th in the table after a tough start to the season.

The manager recently reflected on their approach to new signings over the summer, including the decision to bring in Matete.

“We try to recruit players who are multi-functional. Everyone we signed was with an eye to still playing a 3-5-2 when we needed to so it shouldn’t really affect too many of them. There is nobody in our squad that can’t play either system,” Evatt told The Bolton News.

“Obviously for some of the newer ones it is going to take a little extra time to get used to what we do but I thought there were some big performances out there, even the substitutes, the attitude was class.”