Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner says Jean-Philippe Mateta will not feature in the match against Nottingham Forest after AC Milan made an offer to sign the striker.
Palace want to sign a replacement before the striker leaves, and are close to completing a deal for forward Evan Gesand from Aston Villa, and are continuing negotiations with Wolves’ Jorgen Strand Larsen.
Milan are willing to pay £35m to sign Mateta permanently in the summer, but are now hoping to sign him on an initial loan with an obligation to buy.
“It has nothing to do with the transfer, he just doesn’t feel like he’s in the right place and he doesn’t feel like he’s in the right place to play,” Glasner said in his pre-match press conference ahead of the match against Forest, live on Super Sunday.
“We have to protect the team and protect him. He is not going to Nottingham with us.”
Milan’s acquisition of Mateta is no longer dependent on Christopher Nkunku finding a new club. If they can bring Mateta to Italy, they will explore potential options for the former Chelsea forward.
Palace are discussing Milan’s offer for Mateta and, as Sky Sports News reported on Thursday, Forest’s £35m bid for the striker remains on the table.
Asked for details about Mateta’s absence this weekend, Glasner said: “Again, there’s so much noise, so much speculation, so much going on.
“We need all our players to be at their best and he is not at his best because of all the turmoil going on at the moment.
“Maybe it’s the noise from football, but if someone has personal issues and can’t concentrate on football, there’s no point in playing.
Jean-Philippe Mateta celebrates after giving Crystal Palace the lead against Fulham
“He cannot help the team and perform at the top level. We decided that it is better not to play him. We have to be prepared in case something happens to[Mateta].”
Glasner also said Mateta could remain at the club after the January transfer window closes on Monday.
He added: “Again, to be clear, he could stay and be a Palace player on February 2nd, or he could leave the club and a new striker could come in.”
“These are two situations we are currently discussing.”
Who will Palace sign to replace Mateta?
Evan Guesand to move from Aston Villa to Crystal Palace
Palace hope to sign Mateta’s replacement before he leaves the club. They are closing in on their first loan signing of Guesand from Aston Villa and are in talks to sign Strand Larsen from Wolves.
Guesand’s contract includes a £28 million buyout obligation that will be triggered if he makes a certain number of appearances. Juventus showed interest, but it was too late to make any impact.
The Ivory Coast international has agreed a four-year contract at Selhurst Park, which should become permanent. He will fly to London on Thursday to finalize his move and will undergo a medical on Friday.
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Good Morning Transfers takes a closer look at Crystal Palace’s interest in Wolves striker Jorgen Strand Larsen and what it means for Jean-Philippe Mateta.
Strand Larsen’s contract with Palace was verbally agreed on Thursday for a potential £50m (£45m + £5m), but had hit a snag on Thursday night after a disagreement over additional features.
The south London club, however, still have adjustments left to be agreed. Leeds are also monitoring Strand-Larsen after their initial bid was rejected.
Mr. Glasner: The palace is currently in a difficult situation.
Glasner went on to admit that balancing fixtures and the transfer window will not be easy, but insisted the club is working hard to prepare for all possibilities before the end of Deadline Day on Monday.
Palace already lost captain Marc Guehi in a £20m deal with Manchester City on January 19th.
Marc Guehi controls possession on Man City debut
“Honestly, it’s like this all year round, especially in the summer. It’s not the easiest way for the group or for everyone to deal with this at this point,” Glasner said.
“The club is working almost around the clock at the moment. Marc (Guehi) left two weeks ago and no one has come in.
“As you can imagine it’s not that easy. It’s not as easy as signing players at the end of January because every team wants to have a successful season. I can see that clubs are working hard to sign players.”
“There’s so much noise, so many players coming and going on deadline day and the day before, there’s so much noise all around us. Yes, it’s really challenging.”
“It’s been tough for the players and I can’t praise them enough. We’ve seen how hard they’ve worked all week and how they’ve handled the situation.
“We’re traveling tomorrow with 13 on-field players and Cayden Rodney from the academy. Nobody’s complaining. We’ll be able to win with this squad in Nottingham. It’s a difficult situation.”
Sunday, February 1st 1:55pm
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