Crystal Palace Signs Anan Khalaili on Long-Term Deal

Crystal Palace have landed Israel international Anan Khalaili on a long-term deal running until 2031, underlining the club’s intent ahead of their Europa League return.

The Eagles are understood to have paid around £21m for the 21-year-old, a modern, high-energy option who can operate both as a full-back and a winger. Versatility, pace, and a willingness to work both ways – it is exactly the sort of profile Premier League clubs now pay serious money for.

Khalaili arrives from Union Saint-Gilloise, where his impact was immediate. Joining the Belgian side in 2024, he helped drive them to a historic Belgian Pro League title, their first in 90 years, and added a Belgian Cup to cap a landmark season for the club.

On the European stage he did not shrink. Of his six goals last season, three came in the Champions League, offering Crystal Palace a player who already knows what it feels like to perform under continental floodlights. That experience now feeds into Palace’s own Europa League campaign.

"I have followed the Premier League for a long time, it's a new challenge for me," Khalaili said after signing. "And Crystal Palace I like, because I have followed them for a long time. They have deserved to win three trophies and I want to do more."

The comments hint at a player who is not just arriving for the ride. He talks about trophies, about pushing standards, about adding to what he believes this squad should already have achieved.

For Pierre Sage, Khalaili is the fifth addition of the window, another piece in a squad being quietly reshaped. A title winner, a cup winner, a Champions League scorer at 21 – now dropped into the Premier League and a club daring to think bigger.

How quickly he adapts to the pace and power of English football will say plenty about where Palace can aim this season.