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Crystal Palace manager Pierre Sage says he expects Jean-Philippe Mateta to stay at the club through the end of the transfer window despite the striker’s ongoing contract dispute.
Mateta and his legal team argued that a one-year contract extension triggered by Crystal Palace in 2024 is invalid, which would have made him a free agent.
A Premier League tribunal and FIFA both ruled that the player remains bound to honour his contract with the Eagles through June 2027.
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Reacting to the development, Sage in a chat with the club’s website stated that he does not expect Mateta to leave the club.
‘I speak with him every day and, in front of me, I have a guy that is funny, happy to be here,’ Sage said. ‘He gives his best in every session. I didn’t see a player who has a problem with the club or with us, that’s why he played the last game as a starter.
‘You imagine if we had a problem with him, he would not play as a starter. Now it is just a problem that will be resolved. It is maybe (the problem) with the man but not with the player, if you want.
‘I think he (Mateta) will stay and, like I told you, he has the behaviour of someone who is happy to be here, who wants to be here and prepared to be here all season. That’s why I understand your question, but I have no doubt about that. He prefers football to his contract. When you love to play, you play.
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‘The guy is wonderful. The player only trained for two weeks so he’s not perfect. If he was perfect, he would play every game and score 10 goals but that’s not the case for anybody.’
Despite wanting a move to a UEFA Champions League club, Mateta started in Sage’s first competitive match in charge, a 2-0 defeat away at Everton.
A move to AC Milan fell through in January due to a failed medical over a pre-existing knee injury, though clubs like Tottenham and Aston Villa continue to monitor his situation.
