Jay Matete (born 11 February 2001) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL Championship club Sunderland.
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 in 2023 following a period on loan.
Career
Fleetwood Town
In May 2018, Matete signed for Fleetwood Town's academy, following a spell at Reading. During the 2019–20 EFL Trophy, made two appearances for Fleetwood, against Liverpool U21 and Oldham Athletic.
Grimsby Town (loan) On 21 January 2021, Matete signed for Grimsby Town on loan until the end of the 2020–21 season. Matete played in 20 games for The Mariners, scoring his first goal for the club 32 seconds into a EFL League Two tie with Bolton Wanderers in which Town ran out eventual 2-1 winners.
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. 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. The club appealed his red card but this was turned down effectively ending his season.
Sunderland
On 31 January 2022, Matete signed for fellow EFL League One side Sunderland on a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee. Matete said upon signing "I’m delighted to sign for a club of this stature and I can’t wait to get started. Everything happened so quickly, but it’s brilliant to get the deal done and I’m excited for what the future holds.
On 6 January 2023, Matete signed for Plymouth Argyle on loan until the end of the 2022–23 season.