Dougie Freedman was always sure that Jean-Philippe Mateta would come good.
Mateta, who Palace’s sporting director signed from Mainz in 2021, managed just 10 league goals in over three years before Oliver Glasner’s appointment in mid-February, but the Scot continued to insist in private that he would prove a success.
Under Glasner, Mateta scored 13 times in as many appearances, including a hat-trick against Aston Villa on the final day of the season last Sunday.
The striker, 26, appeared one of the few black marks on Freedman’s recruitment record, but now he has been vindicated, and there is a growing sense at Palace that they have finally found the progressive, tactically-astute coach to bring out the best in their cannily-assembled squad.
Already, Glasner has turned down an approach from Bayern Munich and Freedman is set to agree a new Palace contract, following interest from Newcastle. With the pair working in tandem, fans have rarely been so excited about the club’s potential.
Freedman has established himself as one of the smartest talent-spotters in English football and Glasner’s side, which finished the campaign unbeaten in seven games to clinch their highest-ever Premier League points total, is built around his signings.
It is testament to Freedman’s work that Gareth Southgate this week named four Palace players in his provisional 33-man England squad for the European Championship — Dean Henderson, Marc Guehi, Adam Wharton and Eberechi Eze — and suggested that he would have liked the opportunity to also consider Hammersmith-born Michael Olise, who has opted to represent France but was not included in their squad for the finals.
Henderson only managed a handful of appearances for Manchester United, while Guehi, Eze and Olise were all plucked from the Championship by Freedman for modest fees and have been revelations.
Wharton is, arguably, the best of the lot, having only joined Palace from Blackburn in January and taken to the top flight seamlessly. The midfielder, 19, has an opportunity to capitalise on the absence of Jordan Henderson and be the wildcard in Southgate’s squad in Germany.
While Freedman has picked the players, Glasner is harnessing their talent — and they have reached new levels under the new boss
Elsewhere, Joachim Andersen has been outstanding, Chris Richards is proving his worth and Daniel Munoz, another January signing, is excelling.
While Freedman has picked the players, Glasner is harnessing their talent — and they have reached new levels under the Austrian.
Eze and Olise have operated as wide No10s in Glasner’s 3-4-3 system, drifting inside to find space and link up with Mateta and others. The platform provided by a back-three and wing-backs has spared Eze and Olise excessive defensive duties, allowing them to focus on hurting the opposition, and together they have directly contributed to 16 league goals since Glasner’s appointment.
Guehi, nominally a centre-half, has stepped into midfield since returning from injury and done well, while Nathaniel Clyne is rejuvenated as a right centre-half.
Remarkably, Cheick Doucoure and Jefferson Lerma, two of Palace’s more important players when they suffered season-ending injuries, were not missed in the run-in, while Jordan Ayew, who was one of the first names on the team sheet under Roy Hodgson, has barely had a look-in.
The obvious worry for Palace fans going into the off-season is how many of the gang they can reasonably expect to stay. Manchester City admire Eze and Olise, and the champions’ transfer plans will have to change after top target Lucas Paqueta, the West Ham midfielder, was hit with four FA charges for alleged spot-fixing. Eze, 25, would appear a natural alternative to the Brazilian.
Eze and Olise, though, both signed contracts until 2027 last year, leaving the club in a position of strength if suitors come calling. Guehi, by contrast, has entered the final two years of his deal and may be the hardest of Palace’s stars to keep, particularly as he is the most established with his country and could play a starring role at the Euros. Liverpool and United, among others, are tracking him.
While Freedman continues to front recruitment, Palace should have relatively little to fear from losing Guehi, Eze or Olise — or even all three — in future.
There are few in similar positions who can match Freedman’s record for unearthing undervalued talent, and part of Palace’s model is to sell players for huge profits and reinvest the money on more promising signings.
The club is already taking steps to strengthen a thin squad, with a deal verbally agreed for 20-year-old centre-half Chadi Riad this week.
Further additions are expected and, if one of their stars does leave, Freedman can be trusted to find a suitable replacement.
