NO SURGERY: OLIVER GLASNER CONFIRMS MATETA’S KNEE INJURY IS BETTER THAN FIRST FEARED
Jean-Philippe Mateta will not undergo surgery on his knee. Discover why the AC Milan move failed and when he’ll return for Palace.
Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta won’t need surgery on his troublesome knee, even though that same injury killed his move to AC Milan back in January. The French forward looked all set for a £30 million deadline day switch to Italy, but then his medical exam turned up the problem. Just like that, the deal collapsed.
So, Mateta stays put. He’d been pushing to leave south London, but after all that last-minute drama, he’s still at Selhurst Park. Reports floated around that he might go under the knife to sort things out for good, but after talking to a few more doctors, he’s decided to skip surgery. Instead, he’s been playing through the pain since November, though he’s missed Palace’s last couple of matches.
Palace boss Oliver Glasner spoke ahead of Wednesday night’s game against Burnley and cleared things up. “He doesn’t need surgery. It’s not as bad as we thought,” Glasner said. “A few doctors agreed there are better ways to handle this knee than surgery.” Mateta will miss some time, though. Glasner couldn’t give an exact timeline—could be two weeks, could be four—but he’s staying positive and hopes to have Mateta back soon.
Naturally, the whole thing’s been disappointing for Mateta, especially since he was so close to a fresh start. But now, at least, he’s got answers. He’ll rehab at the training ground, and the club’s medical team is all over it. Glasner stressed that clarity really matters in these situations. “There’s a lot of noise around players sometimes, and it can throw them off. But for now, it’s clear—he’s a Palace player at least until summer, and now he knows exactly what he needs to do.”
If Mateta had gone ahead with surgery, he’d have probably wrecked his chances of making Didier Deschamps’ France squad for the World Cup—or of landing a big summer move, as the failed Milan transfer showed. So, once he’s fit, he’ll be fighting to get back into Palace’s starting eleven and keep his World Cup dream alive. Only now, he’ll be up against the club’s new £48m signing, Jorgen Strand Larsen.
But Mateta’s not ready just yet. Glasner said the striker needs at least another two weeks out before he can even think about full training. “No, he’s not in training. He needs to build up his quads and the muscles around his knee for support. That’s what the doctors recommend—no shortcuts. He’ll be eased back in, always keeping an eye on how the knee’s holding up.”
Lately, some Palace fans have turned on Mateta, chanting against him afterhe attemptss to leave. Glasner hopes that changes. “I hope the fans support every player and the team. Nobody stays forever, but you can expect everyone to give their best when they wear the Eagle, and I know JP will do that again. He deserves the fans’ support.”
Glasner gets it—fans are allowed to be upset. But he’s urging everyone to look forward, not back. “You can dwell on what happened, or you can move on. Maybe people didn’t like how he handled things, but he deserves a second chance. If he gives everything, he’ll get the support. That’s how I see it, and I think our fans will too.”
IGOR TUDOR CONFIRMED FOR FRIDAY PRESS CONFERENCE AMID TOTTENHAM SACKING RUMORS NOW
Igor Tudor survives for now as Tottenham confirm he will face the press ahead of their high-stakes trip to Anfield.
Tottenham's interim boss, Igor Tudor, somehow gets to fight another day, even after losing every match since stepping in. The club just announced he’ll face the press on Friday, right before their brutal trip to Liverpool. The pressure’s mounting, relegation is suddenly a real threat.
Tudor, 47, hit a new low when Spurs got hammered 5-2 by Atletico Madrid in the Champions League. He made a gutsy call, benching regular keeper Guglielmo Vicario for 22-year-old Antonin Kinsky. It backfired almost instantly; Kinsky let in two soft goals in the first 15 minutes and got yanked before halftime.
Most people agreed Kinsky had to go, but Tudor didn’t even acknowledge the young keeper as he trudged off. That set off former Spurs keeper Joe Hart, who couldn’t believe Tudor didn’t at least try to console him. With this disastrous start, the worst for any Spurs boss, many figured the Croatian wouldn’t last until the Liverpool game.
For now, though, his job seems safe. Since the club confirmed he’ll be at Friday’s press conference, it looks like he’ll be in the dugout at Anfield.
But let’s be honest, if Tottenham get thrashed by Liverpool, Tudor’s future will be front and centre. They’ve lost four in a row and are now just one point above West Ham in the drop zone.
West Ham is hosting Manchester City, and Nottingham Forest (17th) plays Fulham. If both those teams win and Spurs lose, Tottenham will tumble into the bottom three.
On top of that, it sounds like Tudor is losing the dressing room. Football London reports that plenty of Spurs players think he’s been too strict and even disrespectful since arriving.
That moment in Madrid summed it up: after pulling Kinsky just 15 minutes in, Tudor didn’t say a word to him. Conor Gallagher, Joao Palhinha, and Dominic Solanke, all on the bench, chased after Kinsky down the tunnel, probably realising how much that rough debut stung.
The squad noticed Tudor’s silence, and he didn’t do much to back Kinsky in his post-match interview either. He did offer a bit of support during the press conference, saying:
"Unfortunately, it happened in this big game, these mistakes. He was sorry. The team is with him; I'm too.
"I was speaking with him. He understands the moment; he understands why he goes out. As I said, he's a very good goalkeeper.
"We are with him; we are all together. It's never about one player. It's happened. It's the Champions League again. We paid for this at the start of the game."
That’s about as much as he offered. Whether that’s enough for his players or the club remains to be seen.
THE 9-POINT GAP: UNEARTHING HOW A ASTON VILLA VICTORY COULD PERMANENTLY DERAIL CHELSEA’S TOP-FOUR HOPES
Champions League race: Read why Aston Villa vs Chelsea is a "must-win," the latest on Pedro Neto’s ban, and Emery’s injury news.
Unai Emery’s team wants to put some real distance between themselves and Chelsea in the Champions League race. Villa are hoping for a big win at home, especially since Chelsea haven’t exactly looked sharp lately; they’re trying to snap a three-game winless streak.
Villa sit fourth in the Premier League, level on points with Manchester United but just behind on goal difference. Their last match didn’t go the way they wanted. They lost 2-0 at Molineux, with Joao Gomes and Rodrigo Gomes both finding the net. They haven’t won there since December 2020, so that defeat stung – a wasted chance to get ahead of the other teams chasing a top-four spot.
Right now, Villa have only picked up one win from their last five league games. When Emery was asked if this match is a 'must-win', he kept it real: 'Our objective is to be in Europe, and we are in. Even if not in good form, we are in. And, of course, we are every day trying to recover our good form and our confidence, and tomorrow, Chelsea is our opponent, and of course, it’s a tough match.”
Villa have missed their captain, John McGinn, plus midfielders Youri Tielemans and Boubacar Kamara. Still, they’ll want to make it three straight league wins over Chelsea. If they do, they’d open up a nine-point gap and make a real statement about sticking in the top four.
Chelsea, in sixth place, also lost their last match. Arsenal beat them, and most of the damage came from set pieces plus an own goal by Piero Hincapié. Chelsea couldn’t defend corners, and discipline is still a big issue. For the ninth time this season, they finished a game with fewer than 11 players. Pedro Neto got two yellows in just three minutes.
That’s two red cards in as many games. It’s hurting their chances and points to a real problem keeping cool when it matters. Liam Rosenior didn’t sugarcoat it before this match: “I need to see an improvement in the behaviour now; it’s not just Pedro [Neto]. We’ve had bookings for needless dissent and fouls. It needs to improve. My job is to create a culture of accountability where if you make a mistake, it’s ok, but you have to hold your hand up and not do it again.”
Wesley Fofana is back from suspension, but Pedro Neto is now out. Jamie Gittens is sidelined with a hamstring problem, Estêvão’s got a thigh injury, and Marc Cucurella probably won’t be ready in time to play at Villa Park.
Villa aren’t at full strength either. They’re still without McGinn and Tielemans, and Kamara probably won’t play again this season. Andrés García has a thigh strain, and Harvey Elliot just hasn’t been able to make an impact since joining due to injuries or whatever else; it just hasn’t clicked.
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