| Matt Baker | |
| Fullname: | Matthew Baker[1] |
| Birth Date: | 6 February 2003 |
| Birth Place: | Kent, England |
| Position: | Defender |
| Currentclub: | Newport County |
| Clubnumber: | 4 |
| Youthyears1: | 2011–2021 |
| Youthclubs1: | Gillingham |
| Youthyears2: | 2021–2022 |
| Youthclubs2: | Stoke City |
| Years1: | 2022–2024 |
| Clubs1: | Stoke City |
| Caps1: | 0 |
| Goals1: | 0 |
| Years2: | 2023 |
| Clubs2: | → Newport County (loan) |
| Caps2: | 18 |
| Goals2: | 0 |
| Years3: | 2023–2024 |
| Clubs3: | → Newport County (loan) |
| Caps3: | 32 |
| Goals3: | 0 |
| Years4: | 2024– |
| Clubs4: | Newport County |
| Caps4: | 1 |
| Goals4: | 1 |
| Nationalteam1: | Wales U17 |
| Nationalteam2: | Wales U19 |
| Nationalyears3: | 2023– |
| Nationalteam3: | Wales U21 |
| Nationalcaps3: | 5 |
| Nationalgoals3: | 0 |
| Club-Update: | 18:25, 17 August 2024 (UTC) |
| Ntupdate: | 18:10, 22 March 2024 (UTC) |
Matthew Baker (born 6 February 2003) is a professional footballer who plays as a defender for club Newport County and the Wales under-21 national team.
Baker progressed through the Gillingham youth system and signed for Stoke City in June 2021.[2] [3] He moved on loan to Newport County in January 2023 for the remainder of the 2022–23 season.[4] [5] [6] [7] He made his Football League debut for Newport on 14 February 2023 in the League Two 2–2 draw against Stevenage.[8] Baker made 18 appearances for Newport helping them finish in 15th position. In September 2023 Baker re-joined Newport County on loan for the 2023–24 season.[9] Baker made 39 appearances for the Exiles as they finished in 18th position.[10] In May 2024, Stoke City offered Baker a contract extension.[11]
On 1 July 2024, Baker returned to Newport County on a permanent two-year deal after both clubs had reached a compensation agreement.[12] [13] Baker scored his first goal for Newport on 17 August 2024 in the 3-1 EFL League Two win against Doncaster Rovers.[14]
Baker is from Kent and qualifies for Wales through his mother who was born in Narberth, Pembrokeshire.[15] He is a Wales youth international and captained them at under-19 level.[16] On 26 March 2023 Baker made his Wales under-21 debut in the starting line-up for the 3–0 friendly match win against Scotland under-21 in Spain.[17] He later became under-21 captain.[13]
In June 2024 Baker was called up to the Wales senior squad for the first time.[18]
| + 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 | |||
| Stoke City | 2022–23 | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Newport County (loan) | 2022–23 | League Two | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 | |
| Newport County (loan) | 2023–24 | League Two | 32 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 39 | 0 | |
| Career total | 50 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 57 | 0 | |||