It’s been quite the rollercoaster for Jean-Philippe Mateta since he arrived on English soil last year.
The Frenchman joined Crystal Palace on an 18-month loan deal from Mainz in January 2021 and quickly made a name for himself by scoring his first goal in a famous away win against rivals Brighton & Hove Albion. That remained his only goal for the club for quite some time and, partnered with a lack of appearances during the first half of the current season, it seemed likely that the striker would be quietly moved on by the end of the campaign.
Fast forward to today though and Mateta has signed a permanent contract that will keep him at Selhurst Park until June 2026 and he just scored an important goal against Everton to help book Palace a spot in the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley next month. On top of that, he’s kicked corner flags at The Den, Vicarage Road, Molineux and Selhurst Park. A very promising return considering he was afforded just 61 minutes of Premier League football from the opening 17 games of the season.
