1st Feb 2025 • Written by Bruno Collingridge

Opinion: Signing Ben Chilwell would be a profound mistake

Since missing out on signing a left wing-back in the summer, Crystal Palace have had 155 days to identify a player good enough to match Oliver Glasner’s demands. 

The Austrian manager has made his desire for Palace to improve their depth in this position extremely clear, first in August and now in January. There was also a sense of urgency in a press conference earlier this month – a concern that is yet to be matched by the club’s dealings in the transfer market.

The window opened with a plan to sign two players. Four weeks, two season-ending injuries, and one Trevoh Chalobah-sized hole later, just one player – 19-year-old Romain Esse – has been brought in. Monday is transfer deadline day.

Pursuit of Slavia Praha defender El-Hadji Malick Diouf has culminated in disappointment. His asking price has increased beyond what Palace were willing to pay, in part due to two major sales to English clubs earlier in the window, granting Slavia more financial leverage in negotiations. If only they had acted sooner.

Without wanting to resort to writing in clichés, Crystal Palace’s transfer strategy is starting to approach Rita Mae Brown’s definition of insanity: trying the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different outcome. 

To add insult to injury, Palace are now in talks to sign Ben Chilwell on loan from Chelsea. Even ignoring the perceived bad blood between the two clubs (Trevoh Chalobah’s premature recall, legal threats over contact with Michael Olise, and the Conor Gallagher situation), there are still various issues with this potential acquisition. Chilwell has made no appearances in the Premier League this season, is not match-fit, and would likely have no long-term future in South London after the expiry of the loan. 

Director of Football Dougie Freedman helped Palace to avoid a similar situation last January. Then-manager Roy Hodgson was desperate for midfield reinforcements after Cheick Doucoure’s injury, and sought an experienced figure in Manchester City’s Kalvin Phillips – yet as the loan fee started to creep higher than one Palace deemed appropriate, Freedman campaigned for the signing of 19-year-old Adam Wharton instead.

Palace did not go into that window with the intention to sign Wharton. They were enticed by Phillips’ status as an England international at a “Big 6” club (sound familiar?), and were relatively unfazed over his four Premier League appearances that season, and reported problems with match fitness. 

As West Ham United (Phillips’ eventual club) fans will testify, he did not have a successful end to the season. Wharton, on the other hand, earned a place in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the European Championship – as a 20–year-old.

This recent trend of targeting domestic rejects from the traditional top six has been expensive, and not particularly fruitful for Palace. Phillips would have been a disaster. Rob Holding, Eddie Nketiah and Trevoh Chalobah have all been disappointing in varying capacites (although the latter can hardly be blamed for the actions of his parent club). Only Dean Henderson can be deemed a success.

Ben Chilwell is not the answer to Palace’s problems. Certainly not in the long term. One can only hope the powers that be in South London come to that realisation before it is too late.

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