The recent transfer window ended in disappointment for many Palace fans. Having no deadline day deals or securing a true Conor Gallagher replacement may have left a bitter taste in our mouths, but overall the window was a success.
Cheick Doucouré’s £20 million deal from Lens looks a steal considering his monstrous presence in the midfield so far this season. His signing, along with adding exciting squad players like Sam Johnstone, Chris Richards and Malcolm Ebiowei shows the direction the club is going.
But through the ups, downs, and drama of the always-busy transfer window, we often forget the players who leave the club and swap the famous red and blue for new opportunities.
Some loyal and dedicated club servants, others bit-part players that even the most dedicated Palace fan would be forgiven if they hadn’t heard of them. But some players’ contributions to the club deserve recognition for the role they played in getting Crystal Palace to where we are now.
Martin Kelly
‘He scored down the Lane, he stopped Harry Kane, We’ve got Martin Kelly!’.
A player who always received a warm reception at Selhurst Park was former Liverpool defender Martin Kelly. His Palace career started very well, helping the club to a 10th place finish in the league in his debut season in 2014/15.
Beginning his career as a full back, Kelly soon found himself as a consistent presence in the centre of defence for Palace. His first match in his newfound position was at Anfield against his former club in Steven Gerrard’s final game at Anfield in May 2015. Kelly helped Palace ruin Gerrard’s special day with a convincing 3-1 victory, with Kelly himself being among the first Palace players to applaud the travelling Palace fans after the final whistle showing his enduring class and sportsmanship.
Kelly’s most memorable moment in red and blue must be the moment which inspired his very own chant, an honour that even club legends like Joel Ward are yet to receive. The number 34 saw the opportunity to become a right-winger as Zaha played him in. Kelly thrashed the ball in at the near post past a stunned Michel Vorm in goal.
“There was only one sight” recalls Kelly in upon his contract extension in 2019, “one thing in my mind that I wanted to do – was to try and score. It so happened to help go on the run to Wembley”
This vital goal, and Kelly’s only Palace goal, helped the Eagles on their path to their first FA Cup final in 25 years.
Kelly’s role at Palace soon changed as he became a bench option during the Hodgson years, giving Palace true quality in depth with his experience. In his final two seasons he only appeared three times in red and blue in all competitions.
Nevertheless, whenever Kelly came off the bench the Selhurst stands would always mutter with reassurance that with Kelly coming on ‘we’ll be fine’. A reliable and loyal servant to the club who made 148 appearances for the club now plies his trade in the Championship with West Brom.
We’ll always have Martin Kelly.
Cheikhou Kouyate
Kouyate is amongst Nottingham Forest’s one million new signings, but before he made the switch to the former Champions League victors the Senegalese midfielder provided Palace with assertive dominance and control in the midfield.
Crunching tackles, ball distribution and surprising agility for a tall player, Kouyate aided Palace superbly during his time at Selhurst. Breaking up counter attacks and springing his own, the AFCON winner became an essential defensive cog in Patrick Vieira’s first season.
His equalising goal on Boxing Day 2019, where he ghosted into the box to sweep his chance away against his former side West Ham gave Palace fans a little Christmas gift. His equaliser made Jordan Ayew’s subsequent Goal of the Season winner that much sweeter.
He helped Palace on their way to Wembley last season, with his thrashing effort to open the scoring against Stoke City in the fifth round.
Kouyate tarnished his legacy after publicly supporting Senegalese teammate Idrissa Gueye’s refusal to wear rainbow-coloured numbers in support of LGBT rights, a sour and disappointing end to an otherwise successful Palace career.
Christian Benteke
The £32 million that Benteke cost is still Palace’s all time highest transfer. He epitomised the statement of intent from Palace in the 2016/17 season: Crystal Palace are a Premier League club and are here to stay.
His first season alone more than justified his price tag; 17 goals in all competitions fired the Eagles to a convincing 14th place finish. Benteke was a mainstay for Palace throughout his time at Selhurst Park providing numerous iconic moments to send fans into frenzies across his six seasons at SE25.
While his performances and goalscoring did dip in the middle of his Palace career, he gave us many iconic moments in our recent Premier League history. The delicious chip over Courtois against Chelsea in our 2-1 win at Stamford Bridge in his debut season is amongst Palace’s finest Premier League goals. His thunderous headed effort against Sunderland to complete the comeback, making it 3-2 for Palace in the 94th minute silenced the Stadium of Light.
Outside of his performances on the pitch, Benteke always had a smile on his face and contributed to the important work of the Palace For Life Foundation during his time at the club. A personality enriched by positivity and generosity went a long way for Palace fans, with many backing him even during his most difficult spells.
His importance to the squad and likeability in the dressing room was best displayed in our 5-0 thrashing of Leicester City in 2018, with regular spot-taker Luka Milivojevic giving the final-minute penalty to Benteke, who himself won the penalty.
Benteke, in a patch of bad form, converts the penalty in prime-Benteke fashion to secure Palace’s biggest ever Premier League win. The emotion was written all over his face so much so that he didn’t even do his trademark celebration. Every single Palace player went over to hug and congratulate the striker, the unity of the squad becoming as apparent as ever, concluding one of the most emotional and meaningful moments in our recent history.
Even his final two seasons were peppered with moments of excellence, especially his remarkable stoppage time winner against Brighton in February 2021. The big Belgian latched onto a deep cross from Andros Townsend and slotted the ball passed a helpless Sanchez in goal. Lewis Dunk, head in hands… always a beautiful sight. Anyone who snatches a winner against our arch-rivals will forever be etched into the history books as a Palace legend.
To this day, Benteke is still a Belgium international and now plays his football in the MLS for Wayne Rooney’s DC United. But, no doubt, will always be welcome on this side of the Atlantic at Crystal Palace.
Gone But Not Forgotten
It is an exciting time to be a Palace fan. While we face nearly a month without the famous red and blue, it feels apt to reflect on the many players who have helped the club get to where they are now. Naturally, we are all excited about what the future may hold and the new roster of young players who can write themselves into our history books as legends in their own right. But it took us a long time to get here, and many of our recent departures have left a legacy at the club which may not outshine our future, but certainly helped define it.
