Led by Jean-Philippe Mateta, almost the entire Crystal Palace team leapt into the air, extended one leg and mimicked their team-mate performing his traditional corner-flag kick.It was the ultimate “boom” celebration, and one of the most iconic moments in the club’s history. Mateta had scored the winning goal in the UEFA Conference League final and capped off a remarkable story of redemption. Or so it seemed.Shortly after Palace’s next match had finished, a defeat by Everton on the opening weekend of the new season, his reputation among the supporters had been sullied again. Back to rock bottom.Mateta and his representative have been in dispute with Palace over the validity of a one-year extension to his contract, a clause taken up by the club in December 2024, and have been attempting to have it declared invalid since his aborted move to Milan in January.His argument that he should be permitted to leave on a free transfer was dismissed by an independent Premier League tribunal back in May. A second attempt to smooth a departure by going to FIFA came to nothing last week after world football’s governing body ruled it was not in its jurisdiction to hear a case.Jean-Philippe Mateta celebrates his winning goal in last season’s UEFA Conference League (Oliver Hardt/Getty Images)It was the latest chapter of a long-running saga as he and his representatives seek a way out of Palace, and a further distraction in this new era at Selhurst Park under manager Pierre Sage. The Frenchman’s preparations for that game at Everton had already been undermined earlier in the week when there had been suggestions of discontent from Ismaila Sarr, last season’s top scorer and player of the year.His situation, however, is a little different to that of Mateta. Palace dismissed an offer they considered derisory for his services from Galatasaray last week, but the forward was still not available to face Everton. That was officially put down to a groin injury, but the reality is that he has been left unsettled by the interest from Turkey. While Palace were missing too many chances for comfort at Hill Dickinson Stadium and succumbing 2-0, Sarr, the man they might have expected to take them, was absent.None of this is ideal for Sage, and it poses the questions of what comes next for Mateta and Sarr with a week of the transfer window remaining. And, moreover, whether or not there is a way back for the pair in south London.Ismaila Sarr scored 21 goals for Crystal Palace last season but was absent at Everton on Saturday (Claudio Villa/Getty Images)While Mateta’s unhappiness has been apparent for some time, his situation has only become more complicated.First he has refused to sign a new contract on considerably improved terms which has now been on the table for over two years, as is his right, in the hope that he could secure a move away to achieve his ambition of playing in the Champions League, as he told The Athletic in 2024. He made clear in January it was his intention to move on, and Nottingham Forest made a £35million ($47.7m) offer to sign him.