If a report from the French outlet L’Equipe (as quoted by The Mirror) is believed to be true, Manchester United are keeping close eyes on Jean-Philippe Mateta and have already opened talks with his representatives over a potential summer transfer.
The Crystal Palace marksman is enjoying a blistering spell with 15 goals and 3 assists in 33 games across competitions. The Eagles are fighting for a place in the top half of the Premier League standings and the lion’s share of contribution goes to the French ‘number 9’ who was snapped up for €11m in January 2022 after an initial 18-month loan (for a loan fee of around €3.50m) from Mainz a year ago.
The 27-year-old Sevran-born centre-forward spent his youth years at Olympique de Sevran, Sevran FC and Drancy before joining the-then third tier outfit Châteauroux. Lyon secured his services in the summer of 2016, but eventually loaned him out to Le Havre for regular gametime. An impressive scoring stint in Ligue 1 earned him a €8m transfer to the Bundesliga outfit Mainz, and the Frenchman netted 27 times for them in 71 appearances before plying his trade to South London.
While he was initially brought in to challenge and cover Odsonne Edouard, Mateta eventually cemented a starting status from 2023 onwards. He scored 19 goals during the 2023-24 campaign and is on course to surpass last season’s numbers once he returns from the horrendous face injury suffered against Millwall in the FA Cup.
Why Manchester United Must Make The Move
Manchester United are still stuck at the wrong end of the league table despite bringing in Ruben Amorim as Erik ten Hag’s successor. They are struggling to convert their chances high up the pitch, as the lack of impact and wastefulness of both Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Højlund cost them against Arsenal regardless of a valiant effort on Sunday evening. The 1-1 draw against the Gunners exposed their frailty upfront and the arrival of Mateta could solve their striker conundrum for the next few seasons.
Amorim prefers to play a possession-based football with high pressing and intricate passing in a 3-4-3 formation. But he needs a certain type of players who would help him execute his tactics and gameplan. Palace boss Oliver Glasner has put a similar style into practice at Selhurst Park, and Mateta, who aptly slotted in the Austrian’s 3-4-2-1 set-up, could help solve the crisis in the ‘Theatre of Dreams’. He has proven his worth in the Premier League, also, the flashy footwork, dribbling and mobility of the former Les Bleus youth international make him an outright upgrade over the existing striking options in the Red Devils camp.
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