Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta was supposed to join AC Milan before the January Transfer Window Deadline, which was even confirmed by David Ornstein, but a later discovery of an injury report of the French forward meant AC Milan withdrew from the deal. The Mateta transfer saga was one of the biggest transfer stories of January, with numerous clubs such as Juventus, Milan, and Nottingham Forest all being interested in signing the striker from Oliver Glasner's side.
The transfer collapse is undoubtedly a huge blow for Mateta, who had already made his intentions known about leaving Crystal Palace for a new challenge. Mateta, who has already scored 8 Premier League goals this season, had established himself as one of the top Premier League strikers in the past years, and hence the move to Milan was seen as the next big step of his career
The injury report that worried AC Milan and made them cancel the Mateta deal
A recent report by BBC Sport mentions that Crystal Palace revealed details of Jean-Philippe Mateta’s long-standing right knee problems during transfer talks with AC Milan. The striker suffered a serious meniscus injury back in 2019 while at Mainz and was out for six months after surgery. AC Milan grew concerned after learning the issue may need another operation to fully resolve it, which has added to their doubts about going ahead with a deal.
Juventus were also reportedly prepared to make a late move for the striker after Milan withdrew, but they too were worried about the knee issue and didn't make an offer in the end.
What next for Jean-Philippe Mateta?
Jean-Philippe Mateta has been carrying a knee issue since November and has continued to play through the pain for months. Crystal Palace have been carefully managing his fitness on a match-by-match basis to get him through games despite the problem.
Sky Sports has reported that Jean-Philippe Mateta will now speak to a knee specialist before deciding whether to have surgery. The timing is crucial, as he’s eager to push for a place in France’s World Cup squad this summer. Talks will involve Crystal Palace and the surgeon to agree on the best plan. His options are to keep playing while managing the pain, or have surgery soon, which would likely rule him out for several months.
Our opinion on Jean-Philippe Mateta's injury condition and transfer collapse
The situation is undoubtedly a huge blow for Jean-Philippe Mateta, who is reportedly to be extremely upset after the move to Milan collapsed. He was one of the most in-demand players of the January Transfer window, and thus he might've been sure that he could've followed his former teammate Marc Guéhi out of Crystal Palace.
Now Mateta not only has to stay at Crystal Palace, but also win over the fans who would undoubtedly be angry at the player for trying to force an exit. However, that also depends on if the French forward plays for the club again this season, as any decision to go forward with a surgery would mean Mateta could mean the rest of the Premier League season, and possibly even the entirety or part of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
To make matters worse, even if Mateta opts or delays the surgery and continues playing for Palace, he now has huge competition in the form of Jørgen Strand Larsen, who was initially signed as a Mateta replacement by Palace from Wolves in a £47m package.
All in all, the situation is unfortunate and a truly disastrous one for the French striker.
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