In a recent interview with Football Insider, pundit Alan Hutton backed Aston Villa to land Crystal Palace forward Jean-Philippe Mateta this summer. Hutton said,
“If Duran was to leave I could get on board a little bit more with the speculation.
“It’s going to be a big fee. We’ve already seen (Michael) Olise leaving for big money, (Eberechi) Eze possibly leaving for big money, and now Mateta.
“I thought he had a great end to last season and he’s currently ripping it up at the Olympics at this moment in time so he’s a big, big target.
“He would be a great addition to the team, the only thing I would say is he would see himself as a starter in my opinion.
“Coming to Aston Villa and playing second fiddle to Ollie Watkins who again had an outstanding season and done his bit in the Euros.
“He is the number one striker. Would he (Mateta) be willing to sit on the bench and possible play second fiddle?
“Of course you have to back yourself and he would probably believe that he can be a starter but should you take that risk.
“It’s an interesting one, we’ll have to wait and see.”
Mateta’s Productive Season At Selhurst Park
The 27-year-old had a productive campaign at the London club recently as he was responsible for putting in a string of impressive displays for them in the final third. Mateta banged in 19 goals and earned five assists in 39 matches for Crystal Palace last season in all competitions.
The France international led the line well for his team and did well to average 1.3 shots, 0.9 key passes and 0.7 dribbles per 90 minutes in Premier League football. However, he was a bit untidy when distributing the ball in the opponent’s half based on his pass success rate of 73.8% in top-flight football (stats via whoscored).
Should Aston Villa Boss Unai Emery Launch A Move For Mateta?
Mateta is proficient at finding a yard of space for himself to get some strikes in at goal. He has proven himself to be a capable finisher on the offensive end of the field. The French striker can create the odd chance for his teammates up top and is a good dribbler with the ball as well. However, he has to find a way to improve his link-up play in the opponent’s half.
We can expect Mateta to add more firepower to Aston Villa boss Unai Emery’s frontline. He is good enough to rival Ollie Watkins for a regular starting role at Villa Park in the upcoming campaign. Mateta might even go on to form a productive offensive partnership with the English forward at the West Midlands club over the next few years.
At 27, the Frenchman is entering his prime, so Emery would be wise to launch a move for him before the end of this transfer period.
