Crystal Palace have confirmed that they have signed Jean-Philippe Mateta on an 18-month loan deal with an obligation to buy.
Crystal Palace Sign Jean-Philippe Mateta
👊 Welcome to the Palace, Jean-Philippe Mateta.#CPFC
— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) January 21, 2021
Long-Standing Interest
The Eagles have held an interest in the French striker since the summer window according to Simon Jones of the Daily Mail. However, they turned down the opportunity to sign him at the time due to Mainz’s valuation.
Now, though, Palace have come to an agreement with the German club for the 23-year-old. They will reportedly pay an initial loan fee of €3 million, before signing him for €15 million come the end of his loan deal.
Mateta arrives after an impressive season with Mainz. He has scored goals in 17 appearances so far this season, including two hat-tricks.
Aged just 23, the Frenchman’s arrival signals Palace’s continued approach to sign young players to bring down the average age of their squad. Roy Hodgson has one of the oldest squads in the Premier League and as a result, they are looking to gradually change that.
Mateta is a similar striker to current incumbent Christian Benteke. He stands at 6’4” and excels in bringing his team-mates into play. However, perhaps unlike the Belgian, Mateta is comfortable with the ball at his feet, showing quick pace and agility too.
Furthermore, his stats so far this season shows that he is getting into the right positions, but perhaps being denied by excellent goalkeeping. The Frenchman has an expected goals figure of 8.42 in the Bundesliga, which is above his tally of eight for the season. In games against Schalke and Arminia Bielefield he registered eight shots at goal, but could only find the back of the net from one of them.
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