There is a well-worn saying that you either die a hero or live long enough to become the villain. Had Jean-Philippe Mateta ended his Crystal Palace story at Wembley last season, his legacy at Selhurst Park might have remained untarnished. Instead, he finds himself at the centre of growing frustration among the fanbase.
When Mateta returned from injury for the first time since his proposed January move to AC Milan collapsed, the reception was a far cry from the Vengaboys anthem that once greeted his every appearance. He was met with boos, a jarring contrast to the adulation he enjoyed not so long ago.
Filling the void in his absence has been Jorgen Strand Larsen, the Norwegian striker who arrived in January for a club-record £48 million. It is a fee that demands instant justification, and while it is still early, Strand Larsen has shown enough to suggest the investment may not have been misplaced. Three goals in six Premier League appearances, including one in the 3-1 victory over Tottenham, represent a more than decent return for a player still finding his feet.
Mateta, by comparison, has managed just one Premier League goal in his last eleven appearances and eight in total this season, a sharp decline from the 14 he scored in the top flight last term. The drop in output has been significant enough to raise genuine questions about whether Strand Larsen should now be considered the first choice on a permanent basis.
The debate around Palace’s strikers has also reignited a longer-standing conversation about Alexander Sorloth. The Norwegian spent time at Selhurst Park as a £9 million signing but was given only 20 appearances to prove himself before being moved on, spending time at KAA Gent, RB Leipzig and Trabzonspor on loan before eventually settling at Real Sociedad. It was never long enough to see the best of him.
Palace have been watching the consequences of that decision ever since. While Mateta’s goals have dried up and the club has spent heavily to bring in Strand Larsen, Sorloth has thrived at the highest level, performing consistently in the Champions League for Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad. On their best days, neither Mateta nor Strand Larsen have matched what Sorloth has produced over the past four seasons.
The numbers make the point clearly. Mateta has underperformed his expected goals tally by more than four, Strand Larsen has matched his, while Sorloth has overperformed his by nearly three. The Palace striker has been wasteful where Sorloth has been clinical, and the gap in quality is difficult to argue with.
Crystal Palace could point to hindsight, but the reality is simpler than that. They never gave Sorloth a proper opportunity, and they have been paying for it ever since.