This season there has been one Crystal Palace ace who’s been a surprise remarkable star, notably for Oliver Glasner.
Due to a bad run and injury concerns, Oliver Glasner’s list of needs for this summer’s transfer window will be expanding every week.
Under Glasner, Crystal Palace has managed just one victory in five games, making an overhaul imperative.
However, given the length of the required list of posts, some positions will no longer be urgently needed because of the necessity to prioritise.
One position in this scenario is striker, where Jean-Philippe Mateta has been showing his value lately up top.
It’s now clear how excellent he has been.
In several areas, Jean-Philippe Mateta has outperformed Erling Haaland.
Big number nine Mateta has been the primary beneficiary on the pitch since Glasner arrived.
The Frenchman has solidified his position as the number nine ahead of Odsonne Edouard after scoring three goals under Glasner in five games.
Recently, Squawka has disclosed that Mateta has outperformed £214 million striker Erling Haaland.
This season, Mateta has outperformed Haaland per 90 in four distinct categories. These include his take-on success, shot accuracy, conversion rate, and opportunities generated.
However, Haaland has performed better in terms of touches in the opposition box, winning goals, non-penalty goals, and shots on target.
This only serves to highlight Mateta’s quietly outstanding campaign, and it appears that Glasner may not require a high-profile No. 9 this summer.
Crystal Palace’s Mateta statistics for 2023–2024
Mateta has made just 17 starts (27 games) this season, but he has already contributed four assists and six goals, which is quite impressive.
His all-round play has also been outstanding as he’s been inventive and suited Glasner’s defend-from-the-front philosophy.
These are his season-long numbers according to FotMob:
Six objectives
Four helpers
1,680 minutes
24 opportunities were generated.
21 effective dribbles
92 duels resulted in 71.4% tackle success.
24 possessions gained in the last quarter
His strengths are fairly obvious from these stats, and they fit Glasner and what Palace might develop into a great combination.