Exeter City manager Matt Taylor is delighted to have added another talented youngster to the first team squad after securing a season-loan loan deal for Nottingam Forest’s Jayden Richardson.
The right-sided defender has been on the Grecians' radar for almost a year after impressing, and scoring, for Nottingham Forest under-23s in a 3-1 Premier League Cup victory over Exeter in October 2018.
“He is a good player that has got a lot of potential,” said Matt. “He came on our radar last season when our under-23s played against Forest’s under-23s in a Premier League Cup match and he was outstanding.
“He has a real physical presence about him in terms of his dynamic ability and we have kept tabs on him. This summer he has been involved in pre-season with Nottingham Forest’s first team, but he is not quite close enough in terms of effecting their first-team group.
“So, we are delighted to have him. We are delighted that Forest have allowed him to come here to help his development because that is going to be key in terms of what he goes on to do. In the meantime, he has got to perform and perform well for us.”
City were not the only club to be tracking Jayden but the club's reputation for developing young players, both from our academy and others that come in on loan, helped and Jayden and Forest agree to the Exeter move.
“Our reputation for developing players helped us,” said Matt. “He is a player in demand. A lot of lower league clubs wanted to take him, so that shows what he is like as a player.
“This is still his first experience of league football and men’s football so he has got a lot of learning and a lot of things to get used to. We know about the demands of League Two football and for any young player that is a difficult environment to go into, but we feel he is close to being ready and he will certainly get the opportunity with ourselves.
“He adds competition for places. We have tweaked the shape in the last couple of games and I know he can play wingback, right-back, right of the three and centre half. So he is a player who can cover a few positions. He has also played on the left side at times in his career. So he is very dependable and he is a good character as well. He wants to learn and he wants to come here for the right reasons and we are pleased to get him on board.”