Crystal Palace Sign Anan Khalaili for £21 Million
Crystal Palace have moved quickly to shore up their right flank, sealing the £21million signing of Anan Khalaili from Royale Union Saint-Gilloise on a five-year deal.
The agreement, which includes add-ons, brings the 21-year-old Israel international to Selhurst Park with an option to extend his stay by a further year. He arrives at a time when Palace’s recruitment team have been weighing up interest in Daniel Munoz, their first-choice right wing-back, and searching for depth on that side of the pitch.
Khalaili, who can operate as a wing-back or higher up the touchline, becomes the fifth arrival of the Pierre Sage era. He follows Dwight McNeil – brought in as part of a swap deal that saw Brennan Johnson depart – along with Oscar Mingueza, Evann Guessand and Takehiro Tomiyasu.
The need for reinforcement on the right had grown sharper. Maxence Lacroix has already gone to Chelsea, Danny Imray has dropped into the Championship with Wrexham, and long-serving Nathaniel Clyne left when his contract expired. Palace suddenly looked light in that channel. Now they have a new specialist to build around.
Khalaili lands in south London with a winning pedigree. He played his part in USG’s historic campaign as they secured a first top-flight title in 90 years, and he carried that form onto the European stage, scoring three times in the Champions League. Domestically, he also helped the Belgian club lift the Belgian Cup, rounding off a breakout season that put him firmly on Premier League radars.
"I'm happy to be here, I'm excited, and I can't wait to start," he said after the move was confirmed. "I've followed the Premier League – it's a new challenge for me – and I've followed Crystal Palace for a long time. I'm happy to be here."
The formal announcement lagged behind reality. Khalaili had already linked up with his new team-mates at the club’s training camp in Germany, spotted by sharp-eyed supporters in a Palace tracksuit before the deal went public. He signed autographs, posed for photos and sparked a wave of speculation that the club leaned into, teasing fans with a playful tweet: "Anyone got a spare autograph book laying around" on Saturday morning.
For Sage, the signing drops into a pre-season that has started to find its rhythm. A 3-0 defeat to Bromley was a jarring opening to his reign, but Palace have responded with a 3-1 win over Ula and a 2-1 victory against Fulham. With Khalaili now in the building and competition for the right flank intensifying, the next question is simple: how quickly can he turn promise into Premier League impact?
