Every club has their famous what-if moment. There was the time Arsenal had Cristiano Ronaldo in north London, only for Manchester United to play Sporting Lisbon in a friendly and beat the Gunners to his signature.
For Crystal Palace, the south Londoners have also had their fair share of agony in the transfer market, with a number of world-class names slipping through their grasp.
With that in mind, let’s see how Crystal Palace’s XI could’ve looked had they secured some of these targets, and also kept the likes of Aaron Wan-Bissaka…
The XI Crystal Palace could’ve had
Well, would you take a look at that – this side would probably win the Premier League with ease, if not the Champions League as well.
Back in 2014, Neil Warnock could’ve brought Virgil van Dijk to Crystal Palace for just £6m, before his Chief Scout warned against it due to the Dutchman being “too slow” – wow.
“We could have bought him at Palace for £6 million but my Chief Scout told me he was too slow. I think he’s still in a job as well!”
A partnership of Van Dijk and Marc Guèhi would be formidable, and with Wan-Bissaka on the right, no forward would want to play down that side.
On the left, you might be wondering why Bayern Munich gem Alphonso Davies is named.
Well, as Steve Parish told the Daily Mail, the Canada international was noticed by Parish’s Vancouver-based sister, who emailed him to suggest the Eagles pursue his signature.
However, work permit issues got in the way, and the 21-year-old is now a Champions League winner starring for Bayern Munich.
Further afield, a more recent example can be found in Donny van de Beek. The £40m Dutchman could’ve joined Crystal Palace in January, but decided to sign for Everton, according to The Athletic.
In our view, a midfield two of Van de Beek and Conor Gallagher would be hugely effective, especially with Eberechi Eze tucking in from the left.
In attack, this is where it gets even more painful for Crystal Palace fans, as they could’ve had a strike partnership of Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy, supported by Jarrod Bowen.
Again under Warnock, the Eagles tried to sign Kane from Tottenham while he was out of favour under Mauricio Pochettino.
However, according to the BBC, Tottenham’s participation in the Europa League caused Kane to stay, as Spurs didn’t want to leave themselves short of options.
In terms of Vardy, it was the Guardian who revealed that the south Londoners were close to agreeing a deal with Fleetwood to sign the rapid striker in 2012.
However, he eventually joined Leicester, and the rest is history.
Lastly, Crystal Palace could’ve had the in-form Jarrod Bowen in their ranks, a man who has scored 18 goals for West Ham last season.
According to the Evening Standard, the Eagles agreed a £16m fee with Hull in January 2020, only to eventually lose out to the Hammers.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
