Mateta Not Right Fit for Nottingham Forest Clash
- Crystal Palace forward Jean-Philippe Mateta, 28, has been left out of the squad due to his recent request to leave the club and the resulting disruption to his...
- Mateta is currently Palace's leading goalscorer in the Premier League this season with eight goals.
- "Again, there is so much noise, so much speculation, so many things going on," Glasner stated.
Crystal Palace’s Mateta left Out of Squad Amid Transfer Request
Crystal Palace forward Jean-Philippe Mateta, 28, has been left out of the squad due to his recent request to leave the club and the resulting disruption to his focus, according to manager Oliver Glasner.
Mateta is currently Palace’s leading goalscorer in the Premier League this season with eight goals. He informed the club of his desire to depart earlier in January, as reported by the BBC.
“Again, there is so much noise, so much speculation, so many things going on,” Glasner stated. “We need every single player at their best and JP [Mateta] isn’t at his best right now with all the noise that happens.”
Glasner explained that personal issues impacting a player’s ability to concentrate on football are detrimental to team performance. “It can be football noise, but if someone has private issues where they can’t focus on football, then it makes no sense to play. He can’t help the team and perform at his top level. We decided it is indeed better not to play him.”
Crystal Palace currently holds the 15th position in the Premier League standings.