Oliver Glasner admits nobody at Crystal Palace was surprised to hear that Jean-Philippe Mateta had failed his AC Milan medical, though he expects Jorgen Strand Larsen to prove a capable replacement for the injured forward.

Mateta looked set to swap Selhurst Park for San Siro on transfer deadline day, having accused Palace of lacking ambition and requesting a move earlier in January.

However, the discovery of a knee issue prompted the Rossoneri to pull the plug on that €30m (£26m) deal, though Palace still signed Strand Larsen from Wolves for £48m.

Ahead of Sunday's Premier League meeting with Brighton, Glasner was asked for his reaction to Mateta's failed move, which capped an eventful January in which Palace also lost Marc Guehi to Manchester City and failed in a late move for Everton's Dwight McNeil.

"I've learned to accept situations," Glasner said.

"My wish, of course, and the wish of everyone at the club, would have been that JP got what he wanted, and then we also got Jorgen and Dwight McNeil into the building, and Marc Guehi's replacement into the building."

Mateta may now undergo surgery on his injury, but with the World Cup a prominent factor in the France international's thinking, that decision will be made next week. 

"To be honest, it was not a big surprise to anyone that he could fail [the medical]. We knew that this could happen, and he knew it," Glasner said.

"There are two ways we can do this – we can manage the knee like we have until after the World Cup, which is JP's dream to play in. 

"The other one is that he undergoes surgery. We don't know how long he would be out. We will decide next week."

Mateta has scored 10 goals in all competitions for Palace this season, more than any other player. 

If he is sidelined for a significant spell, then Strand Larsen – who scored six times for Wolves this campaign but only once in the Premier League (two in EFL Cup, three in FA Cup) – will need to hit the ground running.

"We wanted a tall and physical number 9, he has a great mentality and a great character. He has shown it this week in training that he has this feeling inside the box." 

Oliver Glasner on Jørgen Strand Larsen  pic.twitter.com/a7REPDYJRE

— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) February 6, 2026

"He has a similar profile to JP. We wanted a tall and physical number nine, and Jorgen has a great mentality and a great character," Glasner said. "We trust in him. 

"We're always looking at the profile and the character of the player, and Jorgen shows both – that's why we made a huge effort to get him into the building."