Football

Crystal Palace Chairman Steve Parish Baffled By Lack Of Interest In Eberechi Eze During Summer Transfer Window

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James Lloyd
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James Lloyd Sports Editor

James is a sports writer specialising in football news, betting, and statistics. He also writes about various other sports, including tennis, boxing, and MMA. His work has been featured on multiple online sports platforms, including Sports Lens and Breaking The Lines. James holds a Master's degree in Sport & Exercise Physiology and currently works as a Video Scout for 360 Scouting.

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Published04 Sep 2024

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Eze Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish has expressed his surprise at the lack of interest from Premier League giants in Eberechi Eze during the summer transfer window.

Parish Astonished By Lack Of Eze Interest

Despite the 26-year-old’s impressive performances for both club and country, no top-tier teams triggered his £60 million release clause.

Parish, speaking to Sky Sports, admitted he was “genuinely astonished” that clubs like Manchester City, Tottenham, Liverpool, and Arsenal didn’t make a move for Eze.

Parish said, “I was really worried from a club point of view of losing Michael [Olise] and Ebbs in the same window, and we didn’t have in Ebbs the interest that I thought we would have.

“I was astounded. Genuinely astounded. I mean, the guy’s just an outstanding footballer, an outstanding person.”

Eze’s standout performances for Palace last season and his contributions to England’s Euro 2024 campaign made him a highly sought-after player. However, despite reported interest from Manchester City and Arsenal, no concrete offers materialised.

Parish Explains Guehi Saga

While Palace did have a busy transfer window in terms of incomings, they also managed to retain some of their key players.

Marc Guehi, who was the subject of a £65 million bid from Newcastle, remains at Selhurst Park. Parish explained that the club’s decision to accept a bid for Joachim Andersen made it difficult to sell both starting centre-backs in the same window.

“I don’t think the window worked out exactly the same format that we thought it would,” Parish admitted. “Maybe we thought at the beginning it’d be more likely that Marc Guehi went and we kept Joachim Andersen.

“We accepted that bid [for Andersen], which then made it very difficult really to sell both of our starting centre-backs in one window.

“That’s not to say it wasn’t still an outside possibility that we got to the right number, but then Chadi Riad got injured. That doesn’t look quite as bad as it seems, but it still left us very light and really made it impossible for us to consider at that point.

Palace’s disappointing start to the season has left fans hoping for a turnaround. With Eze and Guehi staying put, the club will be aiming to improve their fortunes and challenge for European places under manager Oliver Glasner.