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Football London
Football London
Sport
Mark Wyatt

Zaha, Rak-Sakyi and Crystal Palace's winners and losers after the January transfer window

Crystal Palace's January transfer window culminated in a late flourish of movement, but what does it mean for Patrick Vieira's players?

The Eagles converted the 18-month loan for Jean-Philippe Mateta into a permanent deal, tieing the 24-year-old down to a bumper four-and-a-half-year contract that keeps him at Selhurst Park until 2026.

Another striker then came through the door moments later when it was announced Palace had agreed on a deal for teenage Derby County forward Luke Plange.

The 19-year-old has been sent straight back to the Rams on loan but is expected to return to Palace in the summer where he could be fighting for a first-team place.

It was an even busier window for the under-23s, who saw nine players leave the club over the month either on loans down the pyramid or on permanent moves.

But what does it all mean for the players within the Crystal Palace squad? Here are our winners and losers from the south London club's exploits in the January transfer window and what has happened in the past month.

Winners

Wilfried Zaha

For the first time in a very long time, there were little to no rumours circulating about the future of Wilfried Zaha.

The Ivorian winger has spent most of the month out of the UK and in Cameroon at the Africa Cup of Nations, leaving the madness of the transfer window behind him.

Zaha switched agencies at the end of the summer window, having previously been represented by Jay-Z's Roc Nation Sports International for less than a year before switching to American agency giants CAA Base.

He has been thought to be considering signing a new deal at Selhurst Park, but the important thing is he'll be able to focus solely on his football for the second half of the season without any transfer rumours hanging over him.

Jeffrey Schlupp

Palace were linked heavily with midfielders during the January transfer window, with Aaron Ramsey, Donny van de Beek and Dele Alli all tipped at one point to be the subject of interest from the Eagles.

Both van de Beek and Alli eventually joined Everton however, while Ramsey switched Turin for Glasgow as he made a deadline day move to Rangers from Serie A side Juventus.

That was good news for Jeffrey Schlupp, who has in recent weeks been Vieira's preferred choice in midfield alongside Conor Gallagher and Will Hughes.

Schlupp will likely drop back into a rotational role once Vieira has James McArthur and Chiekhou Kouyate both available, but there's no doubt his role in the team would have been under more serious threat had Palace signed any of their rumoured midfield targets.

Jesurun Rak-Sakyi

Crystal Palace winger Jesurun Rak-Sakyi was widely tipped to be leaving Selhurst Park in January to go and gain playing experience further down the pyramid.

Both Championship and League One clubs were said to have a concrete interest in the 19-year-old, while Scottish giants Rangers also had their name thrown in the ring to take him on loan.

But by 11pm on Monday, there was no move for him, suggesting Vieira might be keeping him around to get more minutes for the first team in the second half of the season.

Jean-Philippe Mateta

Perhaps the biggest winner of them all is Jean-Philippe Mateta.

The Frenchman seemed destined to cut short his 18-month loan spell leading up to January, having barely had a look in for Vieira during the first months of the season.

But when an opportunity arose for him to prove his worth, he took it with both hands. Well-taken goals against Norwich in the Premier League and the winner against Millwall in the FA Cup showed Mateta was worth keeping around, and an unselfish performance leading the line against Liverpool would have pushed his stock even higher.

His huge new contract, which runs until 2026, is smart business for Palace, who have now tied down a young forward for the foreseeable future and have ticked off a piece of business that would have needed to be done in the summer.

For Mateta, the deal is a huge sign of confidence in him as a player and he can hopefully now push on and get more goals before the end of the season.

Losers

Christian Benteke

It's a stretch to find any losers from this Palace window but this month's movements could be the start of the end for Christian Benteke's time at the club.

The Belgian is still a useful tool in Vieira's arsenal but competition for places in the team is getting fiercer.

Mateta's new four-and-a-half-year deal ties him down to the club for the long-term, while the deadline day signing of teenage centre-forward Luke Plange from Derby will also add depth to the forward line at the end of his loan spell back to the Rams.

Palace still might not have given up hope of signing Arsenal's Eddie Nketiah either, with the club reportedly tabling two offers for the forward that were both rejected by the Gunners over January.

There is also Odsonne Edouard who, despite playing on the wing at times to accommodate for Benteke this season, is another long-term centre-forward option, having signed a four-year deal upon his arrival in south London last August.

Benteke signed a two-year contract extension at Palace last summer that expires in 2023 and although that might mean won't be sold this summer, the writing could be on the wall for the club's record signing.

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