Jean-Philippe Mateta Might Make Sense for Liverpool

A data dig on the reported Liverpool transfer target shows ways in which he could fit the bill for Arne Slot

Liverpool have been linked with a £43m move for Crystal Palace forward Jean-Philippe Mateta. This is not the sort of deal the Reds would normally complete.

Granted, he is Premier League proven with over 250 senior career appearances. Mateta is also down to the final two years of his contract. Tick, tick, tick.

But maybe no fourth tick to make Will Smith go boom. The Frenchman recently turned 28, an age at which Liverpool are likelier to be thinking about selling rather than buying. The furthest Jürgen Klopp went for a player of that age or older was £20m (plus add-ons) for Thiago Alcântara. Mateta might stay fit for longer but he is no Thiago Alcântara.

Perhaps the idea should not be so readily dismissed. What was already proving a fascinating summer of squad renewal has been devastatingly affected by tragedy. Nobody would blame the club if they chose to veer from their standard strategy a little.

I wrote an article about Diogo Jota early last season which noted he was still involved in high value attacking moves despite having fewer touches. "It's obviously a bit different from Klopp where I maybe was useful out wide," was his explanation after the season opener at Ipswich. "If I stay in the middle, wait for those chances to come in and score them, I think that is what I do best."

The data in the article noted that Arne Slot’s Feyenoord striker Santiago Giménez had been very productive in terms of goals and assists per 90 minutes when having relatively few touches in 2023/24.

Do you know of another forward who is at the top end of that chart?

Mateta played in a higher standard league so it’s no shock he wasn’t quite so productive. He averaged just one touch more than Giménez every 900 minutes, their involvement level was effectively identical.

The Palace man completed more of his actions deeper on the pitch than his Feyenoord counterpart. As some of that season was spent playing under Roy Hodgson, the 6’ 3½” striker should be thankful he wasn’t stationed at centre-back.

Adding a little height to the Reds squad would be no bad thing in light of the transfer business Liverpool have recently conducted. There are numerical nuggets of far greater importance than stature which suggest a Reds move for Mateta could be plausible.