Every passing day at Selhurst Park throws up a shock new development. Indeed, it’s been a hectic couple of days if you’re a Crystal Palace supporter, with Marc Guehi now officially a Manchester City player, Oliver Glasner confirming he’s leaving the Premier League job post at the end of the season, and the news that Jean Philippe Mateta could also soon be on the move.
As per David Ornstein, Aston Villa are believed to now be in for the free-flowing Frenchman, who will surely see the developments that keep occurring in South London as an indicator that he should depart the ship shortly.
Safe to say, Eagles supporters could do with some cheering up, with all the bleak news that continues to be reported on, as a new striker looks to be on the January priority list.
Crystal Palace targeting £40m Guessand alternative
It does remain to be seen whether the Palace hierarchy will put their money where their mouth is during the window, with Glasner glumly stating that he feels “abandoned” by the powers that be, as his Eagles squad remains threadbare.
To help with the light squad situation, Ornstein revealed that while Mateta could be on his way to Villa Park, the Eagles are ‘evaluating’ their own move for Evann Guessand, with the Ivorian having only joined Unai Emery’s side over the summer.
Guessand doesn’t appear to be the only option, however, as TEAMTalk are reporting that the Eagles have in-demand Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Jorgen Strand Larsen on their radar.
Palace will have a fight on their hands to land the £40m-rated attacker, though, with the report further elaborating that Leeds United, Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest are all interested in the Norwegian’s services, alongside Glasner’s men.
Hopefully, the reigning FA Cup holders will be able to finally flex some muscle in the window and win Strand Larsen, ahead of all their competitors, with the imposing 6-foot-4 marksman potentially a second coming of Mateta.
Why Strand Larsen can be Mateta 2.0
If Mateta were to depart, much like Guehi, it would leave a gaping hole in another area of Palace’s depleted camp, with the towering striker bagging a mightily impressive 56 goals for the Eagles across his last five full seasons at the club.
With eight goals also under his belt this season, and the tag of being “one of the best strikers in the Premier League” above his head by scout Ben Mattinson, there would be immense pressure on Strand Larsen’s shoulders to immediately make up for the potent Frenchman no longer being around.
Yet, the Old Gold number nine didn’t fall victim to the pressures of the Premier League during his debut season at the level last campaign, with goalscoring great Alan Shearer hailing him as a “nuisance” for defenders to deal with, when putting away 14 goals from only 30 league starts, even as Wolves regularly loitered near the drop zone.
He has fallen short of those standards this season, as Wolves look resigned to the Championship, with only one Premier League goal heading his way.
Consequently, talkSPORT pundit and former top-flight striker Darren Bent has accused Strand Larsen of “doing absolutely nothing” up front when being regularly bullied and frozen out of games by defenders.
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Strand Larsen vs Mateta – PL stats (24/25) |
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|---|---|---|
|
Stat |
Strand Larsen |
Mateta |
|
Games played |
35 |
37 |
|
Goals scored |
14 |
14 |
|
Assists |
4 |
2 |
|
Goals from inside the box |
12 |
12 |
|
Conversion rate % |
28.57% |
26.42% |
|
Passes attempted |
451 |
420 |
|
Passes completed |
294 |
286 |
|
Aerial duels won |
67 |
64 |
|
Aerial duel success rate % |
40.12% |
37.43% |
|
Stats by Squawka |
||
Yet, Mateta has also been prone to a dreadful patch of form at Selhurst Park, himself, as evidenced by him only bagging two goals throughout the entire 2022/23 season.
Still, he bounced back resiliently, and based on Strand Larsen’s numbers in the table above during his 14-goal peak, he is more than capable of replacing the 6-foot-4 focal point if he can, too, put his own out-of-sorts run to one side.
There have also been signs of Strand Larsen snapping back into being a monster in the Cup competitions this season, bagging a hat-trick against a hapless Shrewsbury Town in the FA Cup earlier this month.
Capable of playing on the floor or as a targetman with his lofty frame, it’s clear that Strand Larsen would be a competent replacement for Mateta if it were required, as the Palace makeover beyond Glasner – and perhaps their treasured number 14 – comes into full force.
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