Chelsea academy players are usually very popular. But Alex Matos, who arrived in Norwich as an 18-year-old last summer, isn’t getting much attention right now. Chelsea fans aren’t sure how excellent he is yet, but they will be soon. He’s been training with the first team, sitting on the bench in a few games, and has even appeared in games against Fulham and Blackburn this season.
Gregg Broughton on Alex Matos
Norwich City’s old academy boss, Gregg Broughton, thought Alex Matos could be a Premier League player. But even he is surprised by how much the teen has done at Chelsea in such a short time. Just a bit more than three months after leaving Norwich, Matos played in the Premier League for Chelsea, coming in as a substitute against Fulham the day before he turned 19. He’s been playing regularly for Mauricio Pochettino‘s team since then and got his second chance in a first-team match against Blackburn Rovers in the Carabao Cup last month.
“There are two things about this that is most extraordinary. First, look at the amount of talent Chelsea have signed in the last 18 months and what they have spent. Second, Chelsea have probably the best academy in the UK, even Europe. Alex has gone in there and jumped ahead of a lot of very, very good young players,” Broughton said to The Athletic.
“It is not that he did not have the potential to become a Premier League player. But he has gone into probably the most competitive environment for young players in world football and held his own,” he added.
Ex-Norwich City youth chief Gregg Broughton on Alex Matos progress at Chelsea:
"Chelsea have probably the best academy in the UK, even Europe. Alex has gone in there and jumped ahead of a lot of very, very good young players.
It is not that he did not have the potential to… pic.twitter.com/d5YVKxqfBB
— Vince™ (@Blue_Footy) December 27, 2023
People haven’t talked or written a lot about what Matos has achieved. Maybe because Chelsea has had a lot of injuries this season, fans and football experts might think he’s only playing because of that and because Pochettino has to use young players from the academy. But the truth is, Chelsea has been watching Matos for a long time, and he’s getting chances because he deserves them.
Pochettino noticed Matos in September when many senior players were away for international duties. To fill the training sessions, some academy players, including Matos, were called. He impressed so much that he got a spot on the bench for the next game against Bournemouth. This was a big show of trust, and he made his debut at Fulham two weeks later.
