Crystal Palace Signs Anan Khalaili for £21 Million
Crystal Palace have made their move. Anan Khalaili is in the door.
The club confirmed the signing of the Israel international from Royale Union Saint-Gilloise in a deal worth around £21 million, with further add-ons agreed. He has signed a five-year contract at Selhurst Park, with an option for a sixth, as Palace continue to reshape their squad under new manager Pierre Sage.
Khalaili arrives as a wing-back but brings far more than a single role. The 21-year-old can operate higher up on the flank and comes with serious pedigree from Belgium, where he helped Union Saint-Gilloise to a historic league title – their first top-flight crown in 90 years – and lifted the Belgian Cup. On the European stage, he scored three times in the Champions League, a reminder that this is a player already comfortable under bright lights.
"I'm happy to be here, I'm excited, and I can't wait to start," Khalaili said after sealing the move. "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."
Right side rebuilt
The timing of the deal matters. Palace have been weighing up a move for Daniel Munoz, their first-choice right wing-back target, and the search for options on that flank had grown urgent.
- Maxence Lacroix has already gone to Chelsea.
- Danny Imray left for Wrexham in the Championship.
- Nathaniel Clyne departed at the end of his contract.
For Sage, the right side of his defence was starting to look alarmingly thin.
Khalaili changes that picture. He becomes the fifth signing of the Sage era, following Dwight McNeil – who arrived in a swap deal that saw Brennan Johnson depart – and defenders Oscar Mingueza, Evann Guessand and Takehiro Tomiyasu. Bit by bit, the new manager is bending this squad into his own shape.
The quiet unveiling that wasn’t
By the time Palace announced him, Khalaili was hardly a secret.
He had already joined up with his new team-mates on their training camp in Germany, spotted by sharp-eyed supporters in a Palace tracksuit. The new signing took time to sign autographs and pose for photos, feeding the speculation before the club leaned into the moment with a teasing social media post asking if anyone had "a spare autograph book laying around".
The pressure finally told; the announcement followed.
Sage’s early steps
On the pitch, Palace’s pre-season under Sage has started with a jolt and then a response. A 3-0 defeat to Bromley was a bruising first outing for the new head coach, but the reaction has been swift: a 3-1 win over Ula and a 2-1 victory against Fulham have steadied the mood and hinted at progress.
Now Khalaili steps into that evolving picture, a new right-sided weapon for a manager in the middle of a quiet overhaul. The question is no longer whether Palace will strengthen that flank.
It’s how quickly their new arrival can turn potential into Premier League impact.
