Jean-Philippe Mateta was back amongst the goals for Crystal Palace against Norwich on Tuesday evening.
The Frenchman netted his first and second goal of the 2024/25 campaign to help Crystal Palace record a 4-0 win over Norwich in the second round of the Carabao Cup, including a remarkable overhead kick.
However, some eagle eyed Crystal Palace fans may have noticed that Jean-Philippe Mateta refrained from his trademark kick of the corner flag after scoring, something he also did for each of his three goals in the 5-0 win over Aston Villa on the final day of last season.
Now, the reason for this has been revealed…
Why Jean-Philippe Mateta has abandoned his celebration
A story from the South London Press now claims that the Crystal Palace No.14 has “put the celebration on ice” due to his contract dispute at Selhurst Park.
There is never a dull day at Crystal Palace – to say the least.
In case you missed it, Mateta has just walked away from negotiations over a new contract at Crystal Palace, with the Olympic silver medalist currently unhappy with the terms being offered.
The 27-year-old’s current deal expires in July 2026, although Crystal Palace hold the option to extend his contract by a further 12 months.
Interestingly, the South London Press claim that Mateta is keen to play UEFA Champions League football at this stage of his career, with Crystal Palace already said to have rejected a number of enquiries from rival clubs.
One of those was based in the Midlands, with the Express revealing that Aston Villa made contact to sign Mateta earlier this summer – a side who can fulfil the striker’s desire to play UEFA Champions League football after finishing fourth in the Premier League last season.
Crystal Palace can afford to be calm
While this is hardly ideal for anybody associated with Crystal Palace, Steve Parish and Dougie Freedman can afford to be patient in negotiations with Mateta.
As aforesaid, the man from Sevran is still tied to Crystal Palace for the next two years – technically three years with that option to extend the deal – so there is no need to rush into a sale while his value is high.
Even if talks fail to reach a conclusion by this time next year, Crystal Palace can simply trigger the 12-month extension and Mateta will be just as valuable as he is now, so it is not as much of a pressing situation as the saga involving Marc Guehi, where we are unlikely to receive bids as high as £65m again when the England international only has a year left on his deal next summer.
Hopefully, the Eagles can shake hands with Mateta on a new deal soon, as it would be a real shame to lose a man who has become a firm fan favourite in SE25.
