Jean-Philippe Mateta clapped and waved at Crystal Palace fans as he played what could be a lost home fixture for the club.
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Crystal Palace striker Jean-Phillippe Mateta kept any potential Selhurst Park farewell minimal following the 3-1 defeat to Chelsea on Sunday afternoon.
The Eagles saw their winless Premier League run extended to eight matches in a fairly one-sided affair against Liam Rosenior’s men. Chris Richards headed home a late consolation goal for the Eagles after Adam Wharton was sent off for picking up two yellow cards.
It’s been a turbulent couple of weeks at Selhurst Park. Oliver Glasner slammed the board after seeing centre-back Marc Guehi pulled out of his squad to complete a £20 million move to Manchester City.
Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa credited with interest in Crystal Palace striker
Since then, it’s been reported that Jean-Philippe Mateta is pushing to leave the club. The French international is known to have made a transfer request to leave the club this month with teamTALK claiming that both Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur eyeing a potential swoop.
Crystal Palace trigged an extension in Mateta’s deal in December with the striker’s deal now set to run until the end of the 2026/27 campaign. Should Mateta leave the club this month, then the match against Chelsea would be his final at Selhurst Park as an Eagles player - Glasner’s side are away at Nottingham Forest next weekend before the window slams shut on February 2.
Mateta, who failed to convert a glorious one-v-one chance against Robert Sanchez in the first half, was taken off by Glasner in the 85th minute. That was a fairly low-key change with Crystal Palace 3-0 down at the time.
Jean-Philippe Mateta waves at Crystal Palace fans on leaving Selhurst Park
As the final whistle went, Mateta took his time to emerge from the dugout as his teammates on the pitch thanked the crowd for their support. Very slowly, the striker then strolled onto the pitch but didn’t move more than a few yards from the touchline before turning towards the dugout.
Making his way between the stands at Selhurst Park, Mateta lifted his eyes to acknowledge the Crystal Palace faithful, clapping and waving, in what could be interpreted as a thank you for support or a low-key goodbye. There were some faint boos that echoed from home supporters, frustrated with the player pushing for an exit - Mateta visibly reserved given the ongoing situation.
In his post-match press conference, Glasner was asked about the ongoing Mateta saga and whether recent episodes had given fans a lack of reason for optimism. He replied: “No, I don’t think so [that there isn’t optimism]. I try not to handle all the highs and lows in the same way.
“After the FA Cup, I didn’t think we were going to win the Premier League and not lose any games. It’s in between. Have we been as good to have a 19 game unbeaten run? I don’t know. Are we as bad to have an 11 winless run? I don’t think so. The truth is somewhere in between.
“It’s important for our fans to be realistic, the club is in transition. It’s not to blame anybody for this. For clubs like we are, it’s normal. In the transition phase there are some tough moments
“ I think what characterises Crystal Palace and our fans is we always stick together and support each other. It’s important never to forget what JP has brought to this club, he’s number four or five scorer in the Premier League since I arrived here. We have seen his efforts, how many fights he had with Trevoh Chalobah and how many he won.
“It would be unfair to blame him. Now is a moment to support [Canvot and Mateta]. It’s to support each other, to the players. That’s why I am talking positively today. The last 15 or 20 minutes, they deserve it. If they had let the club down, maybe it wouldn’t be this reaction. I think everybody saw the reaction. It’s an incredible reaction.”
Glasner was then asked about the boos in particular. Quizzed as to whether it was a worry for him, he said: “I don’t think so. Everybody can show their emotions, nobody is pleased with the result. I am a person who never forgets where he is coming from. It’s important to never forget where Crystal Palace is coming from and I don’t see any issues.”
In other news, Crystal Palace must use Man Utd trick to secure Chelsea transfer before player leaves Selhurst Park - opinion.