Crystal Palace have decided to pursue Chrislain Matsima as the chosen replacement for Maxence Lacroix.
Foot Mercato in France are now claiming that the Eagles have ‘set their sights’ on the Frenchman as Chelsea continue talks to sign Maxence Lacroix – who looks set to leave Selhurst Park for a fee in the region of £60m this summer.
Some Crystal Palace fans on social media are concerned about moving for Matsima given the fact he missed 15 games for Augsburg last season due to a tendon injury – but the situation is not as bad as it looks.
How much is Maxence Lacroix worth? 🤔
The Frenchman still has three years left on his contract 📝
Chrislain Matsima can actually boast a strong fitness record
Besides the tendon issue which cost him 15 games last term, the Augsburg No.5 had never previously missed a match because of an injury.
Matsima had only ever missed four games before his tendon problem last term, and those absences occurred as a result of COVID-19 in 2021.
| Season | Days | Injuries | Games missed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/26 | 102 days | 2 | 15 |
| 2021/22 | 8 days | 1 | 1 |
| 2020/21 | 11 days | 1 | 3 |
As you can see above, the 24-year-old has never missed any other games due to fitness issues, which should make Crystal Palace fans feel a lot better about the fact he could potentially be replacing Lacroix.
Matsima can boast 139 career appearances in total so far at club level, and another 61 for France across various age groups.
The Crystal Palace target even played alongside Jean-Philippe Mateta for France at the 2024 Olympic Games.
Of course, as Crystal Palace step up the pursuit of Matsima, it would have been better had he not torn his tendon last season, but the fact he managed to recover and play Augsburg’s final four Bundesliga matches suggest he has fully shaken that injury off.
Ultimately, any serious problems will be flagged during a medical examination, should the situation reach that stage.
Who is your DREAM signing? ⭐️
Now – after Foot Mercato’s report – it just remains to be seen how talks with Augsburg play out, a negotiation which might be difficult for Matt Hobbs considering the defender is under contract until July 2030.
