TRANSFER WAR: NOTTINGHAM FOREST LAUNCH SHOCK £35M BID FOR PALACE STAR JEAN-PHILIPPE MATETA
Nottingham Forest submits a £35m bid for Jean-Philippe Mateta. Discover why the Europa League row makes this deal personal.
Nottingham Forest are eyeing Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, who’s already told Palace he wants out of Selhurst Park. The Telegraph says Forest wants the Frenchman, especially with Chris Wood sidelined by a knee injury.
Palace have slapped a £35 million price tag on the 28-year-old. Mateta hasn’t officially handed in a transfer request, but he’s made it clear he wants to leave this month.
There’s some tension between Forest and Palace, though. Forest slid into the Europa League after raising questions with UEFA about Palace’s ownership. Palace’s chairman, Steve Parish, blamed Forest for pushing them down into the Conference League, and after losing their appeal, he didn’t hold back: “If there wasn’t somebody that wanted to get in as a consequence, then there wouldn’t be a problem.”
Forest is ready to put a big offer on the table for Mateta to lure him north. They’ve already added Lorenzo Lucca on loan from Napoli, but with Wood out, their options are thin.
Juventus have also shown interest in Mateta, but nothing has happened there so far. Aston Villa were in the mix too, which could have sent Evann Guessand to Palace, but now Villa look set to bring back Tammy Abraham, so Mateta’s probably off their radar.
Palace is going through a rough patch. They just lost Marc Guehi to Manchester City, and manager Oliver Glasner has said he’s leaving when his contract runs out this summer. The club really doesn’t want to let another key player go right now. Still, Forest might have to act because of Wood’s injury, even though they weren’t planning to make more signings this window.
Forest’s board has to keep an eye on the PSR rules, so they might need to sell before they buy again. Mateta’s got a year left on his Palace contract and doesn’t want to sign a new one. Palace aren’t planning to let their top scorer—he’s got nine goals this season—leave before they bring in a replacement.
And just to make things even more interesting, Palace visit Forest this weekend. Nobody knows yet if Mateta will be in the lineup.
CONOR GALLAGHER CONFIRMED AS "VITAL" STARTER FOR SPURS FOLLOWING BENTANCUR’S INJURY LAYOFF
Conor Gallagher proved the doubters wrong against Man City. Discover why his €40m move to Tottenham is finally paying off for Spurs.
Chelsea and Atletico Madrid both decided Conor Gallagher wasn’t worth the trouble. At Chelsea, he had his moments—Pochettino liked him, but the fans never really warmed up. When Chelsea shipped him off to Atletico, it made sense. Enzo Fernandez stepped up, took over Gallagher’s role, and fit in perfectly next to Caicedo, with Cole Palmer adding that extra spark up front.
Things didn’t get much better for Gallagher in Spain. He barely got a chance at Atleti, lost his spot in the starting eleven, and pretty much ended up on the transfer list before anyone had time to blink. Interest was lukewarm at best until the winter window rolled around. Aston Villa wanted him and went after him pretty aggressively, but then Tottenham swooped in late. Spurs needed someone to patch up the midfield after Bentancur’s injury, so they just paid up—40 million euros, no hesitation.
His start at Tottenham? Rough. Honestly, that was to be expected. He’d played well at Palace before, but after his struggles at Atleti, he needed time to adjust. Sitting on the bench in Spain didn’t do him any favours.
Then Gallagher showed up. People doubted whether he could really add creativity and move the ball forward for Spurs, so his early struggles got people worried. But then came the 2-2 draw against Manchester City. He suddenly looked like the player both Ange Postecoglou and Thomas Frank were so desperate to sign.
Against City, Gallagher flipped the script. He set up a crucial assist, drove play forward on the dribble, and kept drawing fouls—everything the Spurs needed. Defensively, he was all over the place in a good way: two tackles, three interceptions, a full 90 minutes, and a huge part of the Spurs clawing their way back into the game.
Tottenham fans loved it. They saw the effort, the attitude, and the hunger to win. Gallagher just wouldn’t quit, and in that second half, he, Xavi Simons, Pape Matar Sarr, Destiny Udogie, and Dominic Solanke ran the show. Four of those guys have been carrying Spurs lately, so Gallagher is fitting right in with them. That’s a pretty good sign he’s going to work out just fine in North London.
AC MILAN MEDICAL FAILURE: THE HIDDEN KNEE INJURY THAT CRUSHED MATETA’S £30M MOVE
Jean-Philippe Mateta's £30m move to AC Milan is OFF. Discover why a failed medical has put his France World Cup dreams in jeopardy.