- Mateta grateful for Palace patience
- AC Milan links are ‘in the past’
- Palace must make Mateta decision
Crystal Palace striker Jean-Phillipe Mateta has opened up on his failed move to AC Milan in January. The Frenchman is currently at the World Cup with teammate Maxence Lacroix, but was quizzed on the failed transfer during a press day ahead of France’s tournament kicking off.
Mateta was at the centre of one of the biggest transfer sagas of the Winter window, when he almost joined both Nottingham Forest and then AC Milan, but failed a medical at the latter after a transfer fee was agreed between the clubs.
Mateta then saw a spell on the sidelines as he recovered from the injury, returning to Oliver Glasner’s side to score the winner in the Conference League final as Palace beat Rayo Vallecano 1-0.
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Mateta thankful to Palace
Speaking ahead of his first World Cup, Mateta opened up on the ongoing events across the winter window and shared his views on how things worked out.
“There was a chance to go to Milan, but that’s in the past now, and I don’t know what would have happened if I’d gone to Italy.”
Mateta’s priority for the end of the season was making Didier Deschamps’ World Cup squad. Had he gone to Milan, it’s unknown how that would have played out. Settling into a new squad and competing for game time with Milan’s other striking options, Mateta may have struggled to convince Deschamps that a place in the squad was a good idea.
“I have to thank Crystal Palace,” Mateta continued. “In my early years there, I didn’t perform consistently because I wasn’t getting much playing time. Whereas later on I played a lot more and that allowed me to develop and gain confidence.”
Mateta scored just ten goals in his first 2 ½ years with the club, scoring 51 in the three seasons since. His turnaround and development has been fascinating to see, and this correlated with Oliver Glasner’s time at the club too.
What next for Mateta?
With just a year left on his current deal, it’s still unknown what Palace intend to do with Mateta. The current options are clear. Either sell for a small profit on the original £9.4m outlay, or settle for losing him on a free next Summer upon the expiration of his deal.
Palace have previously attempted to offer Mateta improved terms to extend his contract, but the Frenchman has never been keen to sign.
Palace could very much do with keeping hold of Mateta, though, with Eddie Nketiah likely to depart and Jørgen Strand Larsen still finding his feet at Selhurst Park.
