According to former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness, Jean-Philippe Mateta’s failed move to AC Milan stopped Crystal Palace from signing Dwight McNeil. Wyness spoke to the Inside Track podcast for Football Insider. He hinted that the Eagles dragged their feet on purpose once they lost the Mateta money.
Mateta Collapse Scuppers McNeil Switch: Wyness Claims Palace “Ran Down the Clock”
He mentioned that while fans hate these last-minute changes, they are just a normal part of football. Wyness saw that Palace probably planned to pay for McNeil using only the cash from selling Mateta. So, when the Frenchman’s move to Italy fell through, the South London club let the clock run out. This left the Everton winger in limbo.
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “Look, of course, you get yourself mentally used to it. Look, I’ve been in many, many different, as I say, the end of transfer windows and many deals have not happened.
“I’m afraid it’s part and parcel of the game and it is just a fact of life in football that sometimes things happen at the very last minute. It seems to me that Palace let this one run at the clock run out on purpose.
“I think the Mateta thing obviously affected them in terms of the way they were getting their money in, and I think they just decided that that wasn’t going to happen in terms of the price for Dwight McNeil. So I can’t say I’m really surprised when the Mateta thing happened, and then the McNeil thing came out later.
“I was very surprised about it being announced. But in the end, I’m not surprised that it actually fell through. These things, as I say, these things happen.”
Is It A Setback For Everton?
As things calm down after the Deadline Day drama, Dwight McNeil is still an Everton player. At 26, the former England U21 international is at a major point in his career. Everton get to keep a player who knows the Premier League well. But people are still asking: Is staying put a bad thing for the club?
Financially, the team missed out on a transfer fee. His contract will also need attention soon. Even so, David Moyes keeps a player who knows how things work at Goodison Park. Selling a senior winger without getting someone else in first is a big gamble. McNeil works hard in defence and is great at set-pieces. Not many other players do both.
Looking ahead, the winger needs to get back into the rhythm fast. He is experienced enough to move past the disappointment. Still, it looks like he will eventually leave Merseyside. The next few months give him a chance to show what he can do before the summer window.
For Everton, keeping McNeil means they have enough players for the rest of the season. He keeps things steady on the wing, even if the club didn’t get to cash in. In the end, the move falling through stops the player from getting a fresh start. But it gives Everton the consistency they need to climb the table.
