‘Mateta has quietly outperformed Salah’ as Crystal Palace star linked with Liverpool
Liverpool were crowned Premier League champions last season, but they’re hardly resting on their laurels.
The Reds have spent a cool £100million to sign Florian Wirtz, while Milos Kerkez has been bought for £40m.
Arne Slot is also on the hunt for a new centre-forward, and Jean-Philippe Mateta has emerged as a potential target.
This might not be the first name you’d associate with a club like Liverpool; Mateta has never played in the Champions League and hasn’t been capped by his native France.
However, data suggests he has what it takes to be a hit at Anfield.
Mateta outperforms Mo Salah in key performance metrics
Mateta had a great campaign for Crystal Palace last season, scoring 17 goals and helping his team lift the FA Cup. But that doesn’t tell the whole story.
Data website Footy Stats reveals that Mateta also outperformed Premier League Golden Boot winner Mo Salah in some key metrics last season.
It shows that Mateta had a shot conversion rate of 28%, which is a whisker above Salah’s rate of 27.45%.
His shot accuracy rate (64%) was also higher than Salah’s rate of 58.82%.
Mateta also beat other Liverpool attackers in this metric, including Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz.
It suggests that he could perform his attacking role just as well as these stars, given the chance to do so in a Liverpool shirt.
Isak should be the number one target for Liverpool
Liverpool have been linked with a move for Newcastle striker Alexander Isak as well.
The Swedish striker bagged 27 goals for the Magpies last season and is regarded as one of the most dangerous forwards in Europe.
Isak would likely only be available for a nine-figure bid, but if he’s available and within Liverpool’s budget, they should absolutely go and get him.
| Player | Appearances | Minutes Played | Goals | Assists |
| Mateta | 46 | 3299 | 17 | 4 |
| Isak | 42 | 3319 | 27 | 6 |
Isak will score goals in abundance for Liverpool, but that’s not all he brings. He offers a world-class blend of technical quality, physical presence and clinical finishing. His shot conversion rate was 31.08% last season.
If Liverpool add him, their attacking options would arguably be the best in world football, and certainly the Premier League.
That’s not to say Mateta isn’t good enough to play for Liverpool. The data says he’d be a great signing, but perhaps as an understudy to Isak or a ‘Plan B’ if the Reds can’t sign him.
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