Crystal Palace have added Mainz’s want-away striker Jean-Philippe Mateta on their transfer hit list with the Frenchman available for £15 million, according to the Sun (23 August, page 61).
Fear not Eagles fans, Roy Hodgson has not missed an opportunity to point out just how badly he wants a new number nine this summer.
While chairman Steve Parish is not exactly famed for splashing the cash in the transfer market, a run of seven consecutive defeats to end the Premier League season could actually be exactly what Crystal Palace need; the sort of heart-stopping reality check that highlights just how badly reinforcements are required.
Only bottom-of-the-table Norwich City scored fewer than their 31 league goals in 2019/20 with Christian Benteke looking more like a busted flush with every year that goes by.
Whether Mateta is the man to take over from the bumbling Belgian, however, is anyone’s guess.
Standing at 6ft 4ins, the rangy Frenchman has the stride, the hunger and the clinical finishing skills of an Aston Villa-era Benteke.
A series of injuries wrecked what looks set to become his final season at Mainz but, after hitting the target 14 times in the Bundesliga across 2018/19 campaign, Crystal Palace are ready to take a punt on a player who wants a fresh start.
The Sun claims that Mateta, who shot to fame with 20 goals in his breakthrough year at Le Havre, is valued at £15 million.
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