Jean-Philippe Mateta Goes Rogue As Palace Endure Nightmare Opening Day

Crystal Palace had a dismal opening day of the Premier League season, and not just on the pitch. 

The problems started on Friday evening, when rumours began to circulate that Ismaïla Sarr is set on moving to Turkish side Galatasaray, and missed the trip to Everton through what Pierre Sage described as a groin injury.

Palace lost to Everton by two goals to nil, Sage unable to shift the long standing voodoo the Toffees have over Palace, and things went from bad to worse when Chadi Riad was stretchered off after what looked to be a serious knee injury. 

The final dose of bad news came just hours after full-time on Merseyside, as reports broke that striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, who missed two big chances in the defeat, has taken Palace to court arguing that his current contract is not valid and he wishes for it to be terminated. 

When Crystal Palace signed Jean-Phillipe Mateta from Mainz in Germany, initially on loan, the striker agreed to a 4 ½ year contract when he signed permanently, with a club option for a further year. Mateta had a mixed start to life in South London, and Palace were extraordinarily patient with him as he continued to produce consistently poor performances. 

Whilst his form did turn, Mateta has always been an incredibly inconsistent striker, missing a mindblowing twenty big chances just last season. In fact, in the last two seasons, Mateta has missed a staggering 41 big chances in the Premier League alone, costing Palace countless points.

That too happened on Saturday, as the French international failed to convert from eight yards, striking the post. 

Despite his struggles to perform reliably across an entire campaign, Palace stood by him, and had even offered him new contracts on multiple occasions in an attempt to reward his performances with a pay increase.

Mateta refused to sign those, as he had his sights set on a move to one of Europe’s elite clubs, his entourage evidently supporting, if not encouraging this decision. 

The reality is Mateta was a bit-part striker until Oliver Glasner arrived, and a handful of purple patches led to a flow of goals. 

Outside of that, his performances have been damagingly inconsistent and costly at times. This makes his behaviour off the pitch downright dumbfounding. 

Across his time in South London it has become increasingly clear that Mateta’s management and entourage care for one thing only, money. 

Mateta first kicked up a fuss when he demanded a new contract, even putting his iconic celebration on hold until a new deal was offered. He then didn’t sign the deal that Palace offered. 

In January, Mateta attempted to force a move to Italian giants AC Milan despite struggling with a knee injury in the months leading up to the window. Of course, Mateta failed his medical assessments which led to Milan pulling out of the deal despite having a fee agreed with Palace. 

This came days after he’d agreed terms with Nottingham Forest too, as he seemingly disregarded any ounce of loyalty to chase a larger paypacket. 

What wasn’t made clear to the public, and has now been revealed, is that during this push for a January departure, Mateta had made an official complaint and had his case heard by an independent tribunal under the Premier League’s rules. Whilst no official announcement was made, it’s understood that the contract remained binding. 

Mateta then took his argument to Fifa, and this week they ruled that overruling the contract was not in its jurisdiction. 

Had the appeal been successful, Mateta would have become a free agent and had the freedom to pick his choice of club. Perhaps more importantly, with any potential suitors not needing to pay a transfer fee, Mateta and his entourage would have been in line for a healthy bonus packet, as often is the case with free transfers. 

There is a sense that his team are potentially regretting turning down previous offers, which has likely seen Mateta miss out on £100,000s. Now, they are scrambling for a bumper final contract of his career, but it seems they may have played themselves. 

After his antics in the January window, it looked unlikely that Mateta would ever regain the love of the fans that he once had. However, after treating his knee injury, he returned to the playing squad and played a vital role in Palace winning the Conference League, miraculously clearing his name and legacy of any wrongdoing. 

That outcome doesn’t feel so possible this time. 

There is certainly a point to be made that with this news leaking via BBC Sport, it most certainly came from within the club, rather than from Mateta’s agents. This could be the club’s attempt to prepare fans for his departure, revealing a truly remarkable story that wasn’t meant to be known. 

It seems almost impossible that this chapter in Mateta’s career can continue, as he throws away his status amongst Palace fans, souring the relationship and going rogue to suit his bank account.

Performances like he put in at the Hill Dickinson certainly aren’t going to attract potential suitors, at least not of the stature and paying capability he is clearly hoping for.