Sunderland supporters deliver majority transfer verdict on Jay Matete following Plymouth Argyle loan

During a series of polls conducted by The Echo earlier this week, Sunderland fans were asked to offer their opinion on Jay Matete's transfer future this summer.

The former Fleetwood Town midfielder joined Plymouth Argyle on loan back in January and helped the Pilgrims secure promotion from League One alongside ex-Sunderland youth teamer Bali Mumba.

Matete signed for Sunderland on a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee in the January of 2021 when the cub was still in League One with the midfielder part of the squad that helped win promotion to the Championship under Alex Neil.

During the first half of the 2022-23 season, however, Matete found his game time limited to just eight league appearances with Dan Neil, Edouard Michut and Corry Evans (before his injury) ahead of the Englishman in the pecking order.

The arrival of Frenchman Pierre Ekwah from West Ham in the winter window pushed Matete further back and the decision was made to loan the 22-year-old out in order or him to gain first-team experience and aid his development.

Although Matete made 19 appearances for Plymouth Argyle in League One, scoring once and chipping in with an assist, the midfielder tended to be utilised more off the bench.

That was owing to what Tom Sleeman from Argyle Life explained to The Echo as Matete's "infectious enthusiasm and willingness to get stuck in" which "often meant that it was a risk to start him towards the end of the season..."

With that in mind, The Echo put the question of Matete's future to Sunderland fans in our end-of-season survey, which over 1,000 supporters participated in.

We asked the question:  Would you like to see Jay Matete play for Sunderland next season or sent out on loan again? 35.6 per cent of fans said they would send him out on loan again, while 64.4 per cent said they would hand Matete a chance next campaign.