Steve Parish Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta says he’s delighted to have signed a permanent deal at the club and wants to help the Eagles finish the season on a strong note. Speaking with Palace TV, the forward commented on his new deal,
Jean-Philippe Mateta said: “I’m happy. I want to say thank you to the gaffer [Patrick Vieira], he trusted in me. And [thank you to] Dougie [Freedman], the Chairman [Steve Parish] and the team and the fans also, and my family.”
Crystal Palace chairman
Steve Parish added: “We are delighted to secure the long-term future of Jean-Philippe. Coming to a new country, a new team and a new league is not easy and JP worked incredibly hard to get and then take his opportunities. He really has shown the aptitude, attitude and dedication we look for along with his natural footballing ability. I’m looking forward to seeing much more of him in a Palace shirt.”
Mateta has come into form in recent weeks after initially struggling to hold down a place in Vieira’s team. The Frenchman started Palace’s opening day fixture at Chelsea but went on to play just four minutes of their next 17 Premier League games, finally getting back on the pitch when he came off the bench against Spurs on Boxing Day. A run of four successive league appearances followed, plus an outing against Millwall in the FA Cup, with Mateta taking his chance by scoring twice and setting up another during those games.
Jean-Philippe Mateta added: “To stay on the bench, to look at the team and to do nothing [is hard]. I worked hard and I knew if I did and the gaffer gave me the chance that I would score and we would win, and I know I will stay on the pitch, I hope for a long time. My ambition is to help the team to win every game and to score also, I’m a striker. My job is to score and to kick the most corner flags I can.”
