Matt Grimes has opened up on the mental battles he endured doing his unsuccessful loan spell with Leeds United during the 2016/17 campaign. The Swansea City midfielder started just once in the Championship all season and only made 11 further appearances in all competitions, mostly from the bench.
So poor was his season with the Whites that he dropped down to League One the following season with Northampton in a spell that allowed Grimes to fall back in love with football. It was a stark contrast to his time in West Yorkshire where a lack of game time, living alone and outside noise ruined his chances of making his mark.
Speaking very openly in his programme notes ahead of Swansea’s 3-3 draw with Bournemouth, the 26-year-old said: “The mental state I was in that season [at Leeds], I don’t wish on any footballer. I was training, not playing, going home and sleeping on the sofa because I was living on my own as I wasn’t with my girlfriend at the time.
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“I was just in a lull of training and not playing, running on the weekends and it impacted my mental health so much. I was stepping on the pitch, not feeling confident at all and I was thinking should I even be here? Should I be at a Premier League team? What am I going to do after this season because it has gone so badly.
“That, coupled with thousands of people outside of football telling me how bad I was, calling me all sorts of ridiculous things.
He added: “Obviously everybody is entitled to their opinions. But you just have to know what the right ones are to take in. Looking back now, it was a really good test for me if you like.
“At Leeds, because I wasn’t playing, and when I was playing, I was playing poorly and then you get all the outside noise of you’re not good enough. But because you aren’t confident in yourself you started to believe that.”
Grimes has been able to get firmly back on track in his career and has shown, this season in particular, how good he is in the Championship. It hasn’t exactly been a season to remember for Swansea but, if they are able to keep the majority of their best players in the summer, there is real belief that they can return to the Premier League under Russel Martin.
As captain, Grimes has played a starring role and with his prime years on the horizon, he could end up in the top flight, whether that’s with the Swans or elsewhere. Although, he agreed a new deal at the Liberty Stadium until 2025 back in November so he will be desperate to make it into the Premier League in his tenth year at the club.
