Jean-Philippe Mateta had been on Tottenham’s radar for quite a while.
Tottenham have been looking to reinforce their offensive options from the transfer market as Thomas Frank’s side continue to struggle for goals in the ongoing campaign.
The North Londoners have been keenly looking at Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta to fill that #9 void.
But the Frenchman has been edging closer to moving to Serie A giants AC Milan, and this raises a question, one that piques on whether the 28-year-old is exactly the kind of striker that Thomas Frank wants or whether the Lilywhites’ failure to capitalize on his signing is a hint that the real plan is to wait?
Mateta potentially moving to AC Milan is much of a highlight because of how neatly he ends up fitting the attacking blueprint that we have seen time and again at N17 under Thomas Frank. He is big and mobile, has that relentless without the ball and is far more technically secure than his frame suggests; this makes him quite in line with the type of #9s that Frank has trusted before.
Mateta is a very ‘Frank’ striker
If we go back to his time at Brentford, the Dane head coach built the best of his teams at Gtech Community Stadium around strikers who were not just finishers but also structural pillars.
When we think about that, the first player we end up on is Ivan Toney. He is always the obvious reference point when you talk about Frank strikers. He was quite dominant when it came to dues but also clever with his back to goal. The England international also showed his elite class with his link-up plays and pressing traps.
But he is not only it. Even the likes of Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo thrived off that platform. Both of them were attacking the second balls and running beyond whilst exploiting a chaotic #9 way while playing under Frank.
We have seen with Solanke how Frank loves to lean on a physical reference point upfront (someone that can absorb pressure and turn defence into attack). Frank also tried something similar with Richarlison at the start of the season.
And Mateta ticks all the boxes. Now he is not the most aesthetic striker in the modern game, but tactically speaking, his presence is gold dust.
The French striker is strong enough to pin centre backs in the English top tier (something that we have seen time and again in the past seasons he has played at Selhurst Park). But then he has also shown his pressing mobility under Oliver Glasner. And when he was playing around Eze (now Sarr), Mateta also showed how he is quite comfortable receiving under pressure and laying the ball off quickly.
And more importantly, Mateta is a genuine penalty-box presence who doesn’t need volume to hurt you.
He is a #9 that makes the system work, and that is exactly what Frank is craving for right now…
Why didn’t Tottenham move to sign Mateta (and what does that mean?)
Given that the Lilywhites have had a bit of an injury crisis when it comes to that striking role, Frank would be thinking about having more depth in his side behind Dominic Solanke (who only recently returned after his own lengthy spell on the treatment table).
And when Mateta was listed on the market, it felt like a kind of market opportunity that the Lilywhites should have explored in the transfer market this window (especially given that Palace have been open to selling and he is waiting on concluding his move to AC Milan).
But Tottenham didn’t bite at the chance. And that decision to resist a move for his signatures feels deliberate.
And it can possibly come down to two things.
One is that the board sees Solanke as the short-term #9 to play under Frank. And given that he does perform many of the non-negotiables needed from a striker to play under the Danish head coach. But this shows that Frank clearly has decided that Solanke is fit enough (and able enough) to carry the striking role for now (even if his overall ceiling to take up the goalscoring burden feels a bit limited).
And then another reason could be that the board at Hotspur Way are keen on knowing who their long-term manager will be before committing serious resources to a new signing.
So if Frank survives the season and the upcoming summer, then a possible Toney/Mbeumo-type signing becomes logical. But if he doesn’t, then Tottenham would want to be flexible on the kind of profile the new man at the helm would want upfront.
And this is where not going for Mateta starts to feel more like a chosen decision than a forced one.
Is Mateta a warning sign for Frank?
For Thomas Frank, this may be the most telling part. We know that generally the managers who have their full backing usually get their striker (like we saw with West Ham this window, as they backed all their stakes on Nuno).
And the ones under review usually either get stopgap players or just a bit of patience (which is already wearing thin at Hotspur Way).
Mateta’s Milan-bound limbo might not be about Crystal Palace at all. It might be an early hint that Tottenham are already thinking beyond the here and now and that Frank’s long-term future at N17, very much like the Lilywhites’ next #9, remains unresolved.
