Matt Smith
Personal information
Full name Matthew Gerrard Smith[1]
Date of birth (2000-10-05) 5 October 2000 (age 23)[2]
Place of birth Harlow, England
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)[2]
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Wigan Athletic
Number 8
Youth career
2007–2020 Arsenal
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020–2023 Arsenal 0 (0)
2020–2021 → Swindon Town (loan) 24 (2)
2021 → Charlton Athletic (loan) 8 (0)
2021–2022 → Doncaster Rovers (loan) 43 (0)
2023– Wigan Athletic 23 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16:23, 1 April 2024 (UTC)

Matthew Gerrard Smith (born 5 October 2000) is an English professional footballer who plays for Wigan Athletic as a midfielder.[3]

Career

Arsenal

Born in Harlow, Essex, Smith began his career at Arsenal when he was seven.[4] He progressed through the age groups at Arsenal. He was a part of the Arsenal Academy team that reached the final of the 2017–18 FA Youth Cup.[4] During the 2018–19 season, whilst playing for Arsenal Under-18s, he was given the opportunity to play at a higher age group with six appearances for Arsenal Under-23s. His performances earned him his first professional contract at Arsenal.[4] The next season he played for Arsenal Under-21s during two of their 2019–20 EFL Trophy group matches and was also nominated as the Premier League 2 Player of the Month Award in January 2020.[4]

Due to the break in the 2019–20 Premier League season due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, Smith was called up by the Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta to train with the first team. He would later be named on the bench for Arsenal for their Premier League match against Southampton.[4] He would continue to be named on the bench for the rest of the season but never played. He was also named on the bench for the 2020 FA Cup Final which Arsenal won and earned Smith a winner's medal despite not having made his first team debut for Arsenal.[5]

Loan to Swindon Town

Smith signed on loan for League One side Swindon Town in August 2020 for the duration of the season.[6] He scored his first goal for Swindon in a 3–1 win against Rochdale on 12 September 2020.[7] He was recalled by Arsenal on 1 February 2021, having featured 27 times for Swindon, contributing two goals and three assists.[8]

Loan to Charlton Athletic

On 1 February 2021, Smith moved to a different League One side, Charlton Athletic, on loan for the rest of the 2020-21 season.[9][10] He made his debut in a 3-1 defeat to Portsmouth in League One on 2 February, coming on as a substitute for Andrew Shinnie in the 77th minute.[11]

Loan to Doncaster Rovers

On 5 July 2021, Smith again returned to League One as he joined Doncaster Rovers on a season-long loan deal, linking back up with manager Richie Wellens whom he had played under at Swindon.[12][13]

Return to Arsenal

On 16 June 2023, Arsenal announced that Smith would be leaving the club following the expiration of his contract.[14]

Wigan Athletic

On 1 July 2023 Smith signed for Wigan Athletic.[15][16]

Style of play

With his technique on the ball and awareness off it, Smith typically operates as a deep-lying midfielder, taking the ball off his center-backs to either spread the play or fire passes through the lines.[17][18]

Career statistics

As of match played 1 April 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Arsenal U21 2018–19[19] — — — 1[a] 0 1 0
2019–20[20] — — — 1[a] 0 1 0
2022–23[21] — — — 2[a] 0 2 0
Total — — — 4 0 4 0
Arsenal 2020–21[7] Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2021–22[22] Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2022–23[21] Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Swindon Town (loan) 2020–21[7] League One 24 2 1 0 0 0 2[a] 0 27 2
Charlton Athletic (loan) 2020–21[7] League One 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 0
Doncaster Rovers (loan) 2021–22[22] League One 43 0 2 0 1 0 3 0 49 0
Wigan Athletic 2023–24[23] League One 23 1 0 0 1 0 1[a] 0 25 1
Career total 98 3 3 0 2 0 10 0 113 3
  1. ^ a b c d e Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy

Honours

Arsenal

References

  1. ^ "Notification of shirt numbers: Swindon Town" (PDF). English Football League. p. 70. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Matt Smith". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  3. ^ Matt Smith at Soccerway
  4. ^ a b c d e Smith, George (25 June 2020). "Who is Matt Smith? The Arsenal wonderkid Mikel Arteta has named on the bench against Southampton". Football.London. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  5. ^ "Town sign Arsenal midfielder Matt Smith on loan". Swindon Advertiser. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  6. ^ "Matt Smith: Swindon Town sign teenage midfielder on loan from Arsenal". BBC Sport. 17 August 2020. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  7. ^ a b c d "Games played by Matt Smith in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  8. ^ "ARSENAL RE-CALL MIDFIELDER MATT SMITH". www.swindontownfc.co.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  9. ^ "DONE DEAL: Creative midfielder Matt Smith joins on loan from Arsenal". Charlton Athletic. 1 February 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  10. ^ "Charlton sign Arsenal's Smith on loan". BBC Sport.
  11. ^ ITRM. "REPORT | Charlton 1 Portsmouth 3". www.cafc.co.uk. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  12. ^ "Rovers sign Arsenal's Smith on loan". www.doncasterroversfc.co.uk. 5 July 2021.
  13. ^ "Doncaster sign Arsenal midfielder Smith". BBC Sport.
  14. ^ "13 players to depart at end of their contracts". Arsenal F.C. 16 June 2023. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  15. ^ FC, Wigan Athletic (1 July 2023). "Latics sign Matt Smith!". Wigan Athletic FC.
  16. ^ "Wigan Athletic sign ex-Arsenal midfielder Smith" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  17. ^ "Matt Smith". www.arsenal.com. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  18. ^ McNicholas, Art De Roche and James. "Spotted at six, rabonas at seven, now Arsenal's Smith earning stripes at Swindon". The Athletic. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  19. ^ "Games played by Matt Smith in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  20. ^ "Games played by Matt Smith in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  21. ^ a b "Games played by Matt Smith in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  22. ^ a b "Games played by Matt Smith in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  23. ^ "Games played by Matt Smith in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  24. ^ McNulty, Phil (1 August 2020). "Arsenal 2–1 Chelsea". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
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