The way that the transfer window closes with leagues across Europe already begun means that there are plenty of players and stories who fall through the cracks.
We’re all so busy thinking about the players who have come in and out at the death, and then the games and results that follow, that some of the lesser threads of the summer fall by the wayside.
Moments like this, with a couple of weeks without Premier League action, are a good moment to take stock. A lot of the “bomb squad” and players who needed a loan found one late in the window, while others (like Cesare Casadei) have had an unexpected renaissance in the first team; but there were others who weren’t so lucky.
Forgotten talents pop up in international break training
One of those forgotten players is Alex Matos, who did well on loan last season at Huddersfield. Somehow we weren’t able to secure him either a permanent or loan move this summer, meaning 6 months of stagnation for the 20 year old. He’s been forced to return to U21 level, a massive step back after being a regular in the Championship last season. Without question he’s one of the biggest victims of a chaotic summer where so many resources were spent finding solutions to long term problems like Romelu Lukaku and Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Matos is at least getting a chance to impress Enzo Maresca during this fortnight – photos from Chelsea’s 5th Stand App show him in training making up the numbers this week. Poor Alex is so far from the first team though, despite being the perfect profile as a midfielder to strengthen our squad. He’s just going to have to pray the sporting directors are working on something special for him in midweek.