Leeds United have made a strong start to their Premier League campaign with four points from the first nine available to them.
The 49ers Enterprises oversaw a busy transfer window at Elland Road, and their new defensive midfielder and most expensive summer arrival, Anton Stach, is already proving himself to be a smart signing. Across Leeds’ opening games, Stach has been in the top 6% of players for successful defensive actions.
One signing that hasn’t hit the ground running is Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who joined on a free following the expiry of his Everton contract. The former England striker has made two appearances off the bench, with one of them coming in Leeds’ shocking exit from the League Cup on penalties to Sheffield Wednesday. During that game, Calvert-Lewin missed four big chances and, crucially, his penalty in the shootout.
Leeds have already started looking at bringing in a new striker in January, and after going with the budget-friendly route of Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha, they’re now considering spending big on a Premier League-proven striker.
Leeds plotting January move for Mateta
As per reports, Leeds are looking at signing Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta in the January transfer window and have made him a priority target. Upgrading from Calvert-Lewin to a striker who journalist Rory Smith said was “like original Ronaldo” could be a shrewd move by Leeds.
Caught Offside have claimed that Crystal Palace would want £40 million for Mateta, the same price they wanted for Marc Guehi, and that Leeds sees him as a long-term player who can help cement their place back in the Premier League, with the 49ers looking to test Palace’s resolve with a formal offer.
The report adds that Leeds will face competition from other Premier League clubs, including Aston Villa and Newcastle United. Newcastle may decide to back off the move if their two new strikers hit the ground running, but Aston Villa have yet to score a Premier League goal this season, so they will likely be on the hunt for more firepower in January.
What adds to the speculation about a potential Mateta departure is that the club are currently unable to get him to sign on to a new long-term contract. Mateta is signed on until 2027, but the report goes on to state that “negotiations over a potential extension have stalled, with talks described as ‘unproductive’ amid internal uncertainty at the club.”
One contributing factor may be the recent high-profile exits from Crystal Palace, including Michael Olise to Bayern Munich, Eberechi Eze to Arsenal and the likely exit of club captain Guehi, either to Liverpool in January when his contract expires.
Mateta could be key to Leeds's Premier League future
Since joining Crystal Palace, Mateta has scored 46 goals in 142 appearances, but most of those have come since the start of the 2023/24 season, when Mateta erupted.
Mateta since joining Crystal Palace
Season
Appearances
G+A
25/26
6
3
24/25
46
21
23/24
39
24
22/23
32
2
21/22
28
8
20/21
7
1
Mateta seems to have found consistency at a high level, which is why he’s become such an in-demand player and was linked in the summer with big moves to Arsenal and Manchester United. 65 goal involvements across the last two seasons make him look like a safe bet despite Leeds needing to splash out £40 million for him.
The Frenchman seems to be a favourite among strikers, with former Premier League and England striker Darren Bent having previously praised Mateta:
“He looks trimmed down… You look good, you feel good, you play good… Sometimes, it can be something as simple as that which triggers everything off.”
With numerous big exits making things look uncertain at Palace, Leeds may be able to tempt Mateta away from them, and if they do that, they could break the cycle of newly promoted teams getting relegated and cement themselves back in the Premier League.