Huddersfield Town should already be pursuing second Chelsea transfer agreement: View | OneFootball

Alex Matos has been a revelation since joining Huddersfield Town at the start of the January transfer window from Chelsea, and the Terriers should already be looking to extend his stay at the John Smith’s Stadium beyond the summer.

The 19-year-old has featured in every Town game since making the move from Stamford Bridge, and has been a prominent part in their run of just two defeats in eight league matches since he joined the West Yorkshire club.

The tenacious midfielder has added some steel to the heart of Town’s midfield, with his willingness to get on the ball in tight situations and win the ball back for his side earning him plenty of admirers in the first two months in the Championship.

The numbers behind Alex Matos’ spell at Huddersfield Town

The figures are there for all to see on FBRef about the influence that the teenage talent has had on his new side, with new boss Andre Breitenreiter sure to know he has a player on his hands after the German was appointed as manager a fortnight ago.

Matos already ranks highly among his peers for pass completion percentage, with only Jaheim Headley, Yuta Nakayama and Jonathan Hogg of the first-team regulars bettering his 78.8% in his first few matches; showing his ability to keep the ball in the Terriers’ possession - something that they struggled with at the start of the season.

It is without the ball that Matos has really demonstrated his worth to his new side though, with his average of 3.28 tackles per 90 already ranking himself second compared to his team-mates, with Headley once again leading the way with 3.56.

That ability to break up play, retrieve possession and accurately find another player in blue and white has been fundamental to his side’s ability to go toe-to-toe with fellow Championship sides in the second half of the season, after they appeared lightweight at times during the first few months of the campaign after Darren Moore took over from Neil Warnock.

The Yorkshire-based side were regularly conceding an xG of over 2.0 goals a game in the early part of the season, with the opposition topping that mark eight times before Matos’ arrival to highlight their porous defence.

But since the teenager signed, promotion contenders Southampton are the only side to total a 1.5 xG figure or more against the Terriers.

If you add interceptions into the mix as well Matos only goes onto shine even brighter, with 5.16 blocks or interceptions every 90 minutes - only matched by the brief cameos of Radinio Balker so far this season, who also joined during the January transfer window from Dutch side FC Groningen.

The Chelsea loanee has plenty of aggression in his game, which harnessed correctly can prove to be decisive in the midfield battle in many a Championship fixture, with last weekend’s clash with Watford a key sign of that in action - a compilation of his performance can be found here.

With 36 touches in his 67 minutes on the pitch, a lot of what was going right for the Terriers was going through Matos, and a 91.7% pass completion rate highlighting his protection of possession throughout the clash with the Hornets.

His 100% accuracy with passes over 30 yards proves just how decisive he can be in switching the play, whether that be from side to side or transitioning from defence to attack within the blink of an eye.

Once again without the ball he wasn’t afraid to get stuck in - with three completed tackles and two interceptions he proved a pivotal part in thwarting the hosts’ attacks, and kick-starting his own side’s chances of grabbing a goal.

Alex Matos should be available from Chelsea for next season

According to Transfermarkt, Matos has a contract at Stamford Bridge until the summer of 2026, having joined the club from Norwich City in the summer of 2023.

Like so many of Chelsea’s youngsters, a future of loans is likely to present itself to the teenager, and with such a strong start to life in the professional game there are sure to be plenty of suitors when the summer comes around.

Breitenreiter and his backroom staff will be hoping to keep hold of the influential midfielder for another season at least, with the turnaround since he came into the team proof of just how much he dominates proceedings at Championship level.

Talks will no doubt have already begun between the Blues and the Terriers about extending his time at the John Smith’s Stadium thanks to his positive performances, with another year in the second tier perfect for the young star’s development.

Top flight European clubs could of course be interested, and that is a route that Chelsea have gone down in the past, but with there now being limits on international loan deals out of the Premier League, the best course of action could be to keep Matos in Yorkshire for another year after this season, should the Terriers remain in the Championship.