Naouirou Ahamada has become something of a forgotten man after Crystal Palace loaned him to Rennes on transfer deadline day last summer.
The Frenchman is yet to play a single second of football in Ligue 1 back in his home country, which is incredibly disappointing – although Salma Hayek was involved in his announcement, which was odd.
Nevertheless, the £10.5m man has still been keeping an eye on developments back at Crystal Palace as he struggles with Rennes, with Naouirou Ahamada sending a message to Jean-Philippe Mateta on Instagram after Tuesday’s 1-0 win over Ipswich Town.
Naouirou Ahamada likens Jean-Philippe Mateta to Ronaldo
Ronaldo Nazario hit football stardom in the nineties, scoring many a goal for Cruzeiro, PSV Eindhoven, Barcelona and Inter Milan before a move to Real Madrid in the early 2000s.
A large volume of the Brazilian’s strikes came after a trademark stepover and drop of the shoulder, a skill Mateta adopted to leave Jacob Greaves on the floor before he smartly chipped Arijanet Muric at Portman Road.
The Frenchman’s trickery clearly reminded Ahamada of Ronaldo, as he commented on the Crystal Palace No.14’s Instagram post with “R9” – referencing the South American’s iconic nickname.
Matheus Franca also sent Mateta – who said Dean Henderson helped him score – a message, which was an emoji depicting a person with hearts for eyes, suggesting he too was left very impressed by the dinked finish.
Lyon No.19 Moussa Niakhite – who Crystal Palace wanted last summer – sent the striker a message too, writing “phenomena” to the man who could have become his teammate.
Crystal Palace have a decision to make regarding Naouirou Ahamada
With the January transfer window on the horizon, Steve Parish and Dougie Freedman need to figure out a strategy.
Ahamada’s loan to Rennes is clearly not going to plan, so Crystal Palace must decide whether to recall the 22-year-old and find him a new destination, or wait and see if the situation improves in France.
Ahamada is not the only loanee struggling away from Selhurst Park, as Leicester could return Odsonne Edouard to Crystal Palace following the sacking of Steve Cooper.
Hopefully, a solution is found which suits all parties in the January transfer window, as both loan moves have proven to be a total waste of time for all parties.
