Michy Batshuayi facing further obstacles as Crystal Palace sign Jean-Philippe Mateta

Michy Batshuayi has suffered quite the downturn in fortunes since joining Crystal Palace on loan for a second time, with the 27-year-old behind even the much-marginalized Christian Benteke in the pecking order these days. He has played just 64 minutes of Premier League football over the past two months.

And his situation isn’t getting easier, with the Eagles signing Bundesliga hotshot Jean-Philippe Mateta to compete with Roy Hodgson’s first-choice strike pairing of Wilfried Zaha and André Ayew.

Mateta, 23, has been quite the revelation for Mainz this season, scoring 10 goals and providing 1 assist in 17 appearances. Palace are clearly looking at the future with his signing, and it surely spells doom for Michy’s adventures with them.

Chelsea reportedly had already decided not to recall him this month, and as HLN points out, the reason could be financial rather than sporting. There seems to be a lack of interest in Michy’s services, and if Chelsea were to recall him now, we would need to accommodate him and his wages in our already bloated squad.

Batshuayi’s Chelsea contract expires in 2022, so it would be logical to assume that he will be sold in the summer somehow, especially with FIFA’s new loan regulations coming into force. But for the time being, it appears that Michy is on his own.