St Etienne coach Pascal Dupraz has confirmed his intention to sign Jean-Philippe Mateta from Crystal Palace despite his recent Premier League renaissance, speaking to France Bleu.
Has Patrick Vieira changed his mind? Or has his hand been forced by complications caused by a spate of COVID-19 cases in the Selhurst Park camp, not to mention the absence of Wilfried Zaha?
With St Etienne entering negotiations to bring former France U21 international Mateta back across the Channel, it seems that the latter is more likely than the former.
After playing just four minutes of football since August, the Mainz loanee has now featured in every one of Crystal Palace’s last three Premier League games.
He even found the net against Norwich City, sweeping home a brilliant left-footed finish while providing a timely reminder as to why Palace were so keen to bring him to England in the first place.
According to Le Progres, however, Mateta’s unexpected return to the first-team picture will not last.
A St Etienne side rock-bottom of the Ligue 1 table need a miracle and there is a belief on the banks of the Rhone that Mateta can be their Messiah.
Has Jean-Philippe Mateta played his last game for Crystal Palace?
“The more we talk about this player, the less he will come to AS Saint-Etienne!” says Dupraz, who has been hired to replace Claude Puel in the Les Verts hotseat.
“But what I can tell you is that we have him on the phone regularly.
“There are rules to be observed and it is still inappropriate to say that he will join us. But there is a will (to sign him) and it is unanimous.”
Mateta joined Palace on loan 12 months ago after hitting 10 goals in 17 goals during the first half of the Bundesliga campaign for a struggling Mainz side.
But, after failing to rediscover his golden touch on British soil, Vieira appears to have very little interest in triggering the £16 million purchase clause in his contract, especially with Eddie Nketiah in his sights.
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