Crystal Palace
Mick Brown
Thu 15 May 2025 10:32, UK
Crystal Palace are plotting a move to sign Strasbourg striker Emanuel Emegha if they are unable to keep hold of Jean-Philippe Mateta.
That is according to former Man United and Blackburn chief scout Mick Brown, who remains very well-connected within the game, as he exclusively told Football Insider that Oliver Glasner’s side are looking outside of the Premier League for replacements.
While the Eagles would prefer not to cash in on Mateta, Emegha has been identified as a like-for-like replacement given his stature and goalscoring prowess.
Only Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike, an £80million target for Liverpool and Man United, has scored more than Emegha’s 14 league goals among strikers aged 22 or younger in Europe.
Standing at 6’5″, the Netherlands Under-21 international has enjoyed a breakout season in Ligue 1 and is attracting plenty of interest from a number of top clubs.
Meanwhile, Chelsea have been linked with signing Emegha from BlueCo-owned Strasbourg, with the link between the two clubs frequently explored in the transfer market.
Strasbourg striker Emanuel Emegha
Emanuel Emegha has been linked with Chelsea and Crystal Palace. (Credit: Imago)
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Crystal Palace line up Emanuel Emegha after Mateta latest
Brown told Football Insider last month that Crystal Palace plan to keep Mateta at the club and will hold talks about the offer of a new contract.
However, if they are unable to reach an agreement, the former scout who has a wealth of experience in top-level player recruitment after over a decade at Man United, has insisted they already have targets in mind to replace him.
“*If Mateta is going to leave, Palace want to replace him,*” he told Football Insider.
“What options are available in England? Off the top of my head there’s Evan Ferguson, but there’s the Brighton link there and he’s struggled at West Ham.
“Then there’s Liam Delap at Ipswich, but it seems he’ll go to one of the bigger clubs.
“So Palace have been looking abroad for players who might be available.
“Emanuel Emegha is a name who has been mentioned there and they’ve been keeping an eye on his performances in France.
“They’ll know all about him, what he would bring to the team and the way he would be used under Oliver Glasner – it seems he’s more of a like-for-like replacement for Mateta.
“It’s always very difficult to lose an important and reliable player, especially a striker.
“You never know how he’ll handle the Premier League or adapt to the squad, but they’ll be working hard to find out all they can about him.
“His mentality might come into it just as much as his ability.
“But that’s something Palace will have to find out and will be working on in the background, because they don’t want to lose Mateta and be left short.”
Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner
Oliver Glasner is keen to strengthen his squad. (Credit: Hasan Karim, Breaking Media)
Joe Willock update emerges after Newcastle transfer latest
Despite seemingly constant speculation linking Crystal Palace’s star players with moves away from Selhurst Park, they are aiming to strengthen this summer.
Brown told Football Insider on 13 May that Palace want to sign Newcastle star Joe Willock to bolster Glasner’s squad over the off-season.
Scouts have been keeping tabs on the 25-year-old’s performances at St James’ Park, while there is a belief he would interested in the move.
This comes after Football Insider revealed Newcastle plan to keep Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali and Joelinton as their starting midfield trio under Eddie Howe.
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