A 12-month loop is complete
Ben Chilwell is back in England. Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace confirmed overnight that their left-back has left for Crystal Palace, subject to the issue of an international transfer certificate. He still had a year left on his deal in Alsace.
The 29-year-old Englishman has spent just one season in Ligue 1. He became one of the dressing-room leaders there, but that was not enough to keep him once the Premier League came calling. The pitch was simple, and it worked fast: go back to the league he knows best.
Try it for $0.99.
What Strasbourg are really losing
A Leicester academy product, Chilwell was sold to Chelsea in 2020 and lifted the Champions League with the Blues in 2021 before injuries tore up his momentum. Strasbourg backed him to shore up the left side and give him a setting to rebuild. It was a decent bet.
Now Racing are left with a hole to fill and a market that has already shut in France for incoming deals. That is the real price of it. The club from Alsace have let an experienced starter go in the final hours of the window, with no chance to dip back in and replace him.
Crystal Palace have dipped into Ligue 1
At the Eagles, Chilwell will find Pierre Sage in the dugout. The French coach will not be short of familiar faces in his squad. Palace ended deadline night with Quinten Timber, prised away from Olympique de Marseille for around 18 million euros, and the Chilean Dario Osorio. The London club also pushed hard for Malick Fofana before Sunderland beat them to it.
Three signings in a few hours, two of them straight from the French top flight. Palace have clearly made Ligue 1 one of their hunting grounds this summer. The only question now is how it all looks on the pitch once the international break is out of the way.
Discover the rest of the FOOT news on our MathODDS website and app!
in your pocket.
Real-time notifications & alerts
Leave a Reply