Crystal Palace have opted to leave Jean-Philippe Mateta out of their squad to face Nottingham Forest on Sunday due to the striker's current state, according to manager Oliver Glasner. Mateta has been plagued by uncertainty over his future, with Italian club AC Milan reportedly keen on signing him for a fee in excess of £40m.
Despite receiving a £35m bid from Forest last week, Palace are hesitant to sell to a Premier League rival and have instead decided to focus on completing their own transfer business. Mateta has expressed a desire to leave the club in order to pursue his ambition of earning a World Cup call-up this summer, with Milan having offered him a three-and-a-half-year deal.
Glasner believes that Mateta is not "at his best" at present and will prioritize his team's performance over any potential transfer deals. The manager stated that Mateta won't be traveling with the squad to Forest, citing his need for focus on football amid the surrounding speculation.
Meanwhile, Palace are weighing up offers from other clubs, including a £45m bid for Jørgen Strand Larsen from Wolves. However, concerns over the fee have led some within the club's hierarchy to question whether such a purchase would be justifiable, particularly given the recent signing of Brennan Johnson for £35m.
Additionally, Palace are also considering the departure of striker Sidiki Cherif, who has informed Angers that he prefers Fenerbahce. The French club had previously rebuffed two bids from Palace, highlighting their desire to keep Cherif at the club.
Finally, West Ham United are reportedly interested in signing Taylor Harwood-Bellis from Southampton, with Nuno Espírito Santo identifying the defender as an alternative to Chelsea's Axel Disasi.
Despite receiving a £35m bid from Forest last week, Palace are hesitant to sell to a Premier League rival and have instead decided to focus on completing their own transfer business. Mateta has expressed a desire to leave the club in order to pursue his ambition of earning a World Cup call-up this summer, with Milan having offered him a three-and-a-half-year deal.
Glasner believes that Mateta is not "at his best" at present and will prioritize his team's performance over any potential transfer deals. The manager stated that Mateta won't be traveling with the squad to Forest, citing his need for focus on football amid the surrounding speculation.
Meanwhile, Palace are weighing up offers from other clubs, including a £45m bid for Jørgen Strand Larsen from Wolves. However, concerns over the fee have led some within the club's hierarchy to question whether such a purchase would be justifiable, particularly given the recent signing of Brennan Johnson for £35m.
Additionally, Palace are also considering the departure of striker Sidiki Cherif, who has informed Angers that he prefers Fenerbahce. The French club had previously rebuffed two bids from Palace, highlighting their desire to keep Cherif at the club.
Finally, West Ham United are reportedly interested in signing Taylor Harwood-Bellis from Southampton, with Nuno Espírito Santo identifying the defender as an alternative to Chelsea's Axel Disasi.
. they don't wanna let mateta go for a decent fee but also dont want to lose him if he gets an offer he can't refuse from milan. its all about getting value for their money, and £40m is a pretty penny 
. meanwhile, palace have got some other interest in strand larsen, but the price is steep, maybe they'll wait until summer or something 
. cherifs departure is gonna be interesting too, fenerbahce needs him i think 
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. One minute he's worth £40m, the next he's not needed for the game against Forest... it's like, what's going on? 
The manager just says he's not at his best, but I think that's a bit harsh, you know? I get where they're coming from, though - don't wanna sell to a rival club and risk losing someone important. And on the other hand, if they could get £45m for Larsen... 
that's a no-brainer! But at the same time, are they really gonna pass up on Cherif? He might be leaving anyway, so it's like, what's the point? 
And West Ham wanting Harwood-Bellis... that's an interesting move. They gotta want him badly if they're willing to drop Disasi 
We need to focus on keeping our own players happy & healthy, not worrying about who's gonna nick them away.
. i feel bad for jean-philippe mateta tho, he's been trying to leave for ages but palace doesn't wanna sell lol. i get it tho, they gotta think about their team first. glasner is like the voice of reason over there. maybe mateta just needs a breather or somethin 
. what's next for palace? are they gonna make some moves before sunday or keep sticking with who they got? 
. what if palace do end up selling harwood-bellis though? would west ham really be able to handle him as much as southampton can? 
. It's tough to focus on football when you're not sure what's happening with your own career trajectory 
. It reminds me that in life, we can't always control everything around us; sometimes we gotta take a step back and prioritize our own well-being 
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. It's a shame for Mateta too, he really wants to get that World Cup call-up, but it looks like Palace are putting their own interests first 
. Still, they're not making any big money moves right now, so I suppose patience is the order of the day 
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Can you believe it? Crystal Palace is like, "We don't want this super talented striker because he's not at his best" 
meanwhile they're probably over here like "Hey, let's sign a defender for £45m and wonder if we made the right decision later 
and harwood-bellis is no stranger to criticism either 
not sure why west ham would go for him tho 
, leaving Mateta out of the squad for a big match like that just shows how much they value their star player over actual football results. 
and now they're gonna sit on their hands waiting for other clubs to make moves, meanwhile AC Milan is just getting more desperate... 
I mean I get it, Jean-Philippe Mateta is having a rough patch and all but leaving him out of the squad for the Forest game feels like a bit of an own goal. Like, you're gonna drop him at the worst possible time when he's just trying to prove himself? 
And now the club is hesitant to sell him because they're worried about losing him to AC Milan for £40m... I mean, come on! You can't keep a good man down, especially not one who's been doing okay for you despite all this drama 
. Can't they just make a decision already?! 
. On a brighter note, I'm sure Jørgen Strand Larsen will be super thrilled to join Wolves and spend his £45m wages 
). Sometimes you gotta think about what's gonna make your team stronger in the long run, rather than trying to satisfy everyone else's expectations. And let's be real, some people are just gonna have to wait their turn if they want to play for their dream club... 
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. I get that Mateta's got some issues, but can't they just give him a chance to shine instead of shadin' him from the squad? It's like they're more worried 'bout gettin' that £40m than developin' their own player 
. They need to think about buildin' somethin' for the future, not just cashin' out old players 
. I hope Glasner knows what he's doin', but right now it's hard to see a clear plan 
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️ I'm a bit surprised by Palace's decision to leave Mateta out of the squad, considering how integral he was to their attacking strategy earlier in the season 
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. While these moves might be necessary for their long-term success, I wonder how much of an impact they'll have in the short term?