Newport County have made their 11th signing of the summer by bringing in Matthew Max Dibley-Dias on a short-term loan from Fulham. The 22-year-old midfielder heads to Rodney Parade with the clearest immediate storyline being his reunion with Hayden Mullins, who coached him at Fulham’s under-21 level.
The Mullins link
That connection goes back beyond a simple coaching overlap. Dibley-Dias made 31 appearances across two seasons under Mullins at Fulham and was part of the team that won the Premier League Cup in 2023-24.
He has already had a fairly busy loan path for a 22-year-old. Last season he played five times for Chesterfield before moving to Braintree Town, where he made eight appearances and provided one assist. He also spent time on loan at Northampton Town in 2024-25.
What Newport are adding
The move gives Newport another midfield option as they try to build on a positive start in League Two, and the timing fits a club that has been busy all summer. Dibley-Dias has also been named in Fulham’s first-team matchday squads four times, so there is some experience there beyond youth football.
Fulham finished 11th in the 2025 Premier League and have had mixed league form themselves, winning two, drawing one and losing two of their last five. Newport, though, are the side that need the fresh body most right now, and this loan gives Mullins a player he already knows well ahead of the next run of matches.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
