Ahead of Saturday’s 2-2 draw against Manchester City, a number of sources cast doubt over the future of Jean-Philippe Mateta at Crystal Palace.
The Frenchman is said to want a more prominent role, with a return to Germany possibly on the horizon as Eintracht Frankfurt show interest.
Now – however – Steve Parish has a huge decision to make regarding Jean-Philippe Mateta at Crystal Palace…
The latest on Mateta at Crystal Palace
Well, it was The Athletic who claimed that the Crystal Palace No.14 wants more playing time, and could choose to depart Selhurst Park in January amid interest from Eintracht Frankfurt and clubs in Turkey.
Parish and Dougie Freedman were probably happy to sanction the sale of Mateta before Saturday’s 2-2 draw against Manchester City, as the £9m striker was struggling to make an impact.
However, the 26-year-old truly stepped up at the Etihad Stadium, and showed that he could be a very useful player for Roy Hodgson to have in the second half of the campaign.
Mateta proved he can still help Hodgson at Selhurst Park
Mateta displayed superb holdup play against the treble winners to help get the likes of Michael Olise involved, registering a pass success rate of 86.7% as he made the ball stick.
The Sevran-born forward also delivered our three most significant moments, up front on his own against a side who are arguably the best around right now.
Mateta almost got Ederson sent off after sharply beating the Brazil international to the ball, before slotting past the Manchester City No.31 with a predatory effort in the 76th minute.
The wantaway forward then – of course – showed great anticipation once again to beat Phil Foden to the ball in the 95th minute, winning the penalty which secured a valuable point.
It came just a week after Mateta also proved to be a handful against Liverpool, leaving many who were previously content to see him depart now rethinking that stance – Parish is surely among those reevaluating the situation.
Now, it is up to those in the boardroom at Selhurst Park to make a decision on the Frenchman, who showed exactly why he feels he can be a starter elsewhere with solid displays against Liverpool and Manchester City.
