Crystal Palace’s best Premier League signings of all time

Crystal Palace have firmly established themselves as a Premier League club, and their FA Cup and Conference League successes in recent years have been brought about thanks to an excellent transfer policy.

Here, FootballWhispers counts down Crystal Palace's five best signings of the Premier League era.

5) Adam Wharton

Adam Wharton has become one of the Premier League's hottest prospects since joining from Blackburn Rovers in 2024 for a reported figure of £22m.

The midfielder was arguably the best player on the pitch for the club's Conference League final victory over Rayo Vallecano in 2026, and it would not be surprising if he was eventually sold for a fee in excess of £100m.

Wharton was a key starter in the club's successful FA Cup final win against Manchester City in 2025, but fans will be particularly thankful for his efforts given he suffered a concussion in the final 15 minutes, and he has himself admitted that his recollection of the game is limited.

For now, however, Wharton could still make further history with Palace in the Europa League in 2026-27, and he may very well earn a higher spot on the list by the end of the season.

4) Michael Olise

Now known as one of the best players in the world because of his performances at Bayern Munich, Michael Olise's time in the Premier League with Palace is perhaps unfairly overlooked.

Signed from Reading, who were in the Championship at the time, the Eagles' decision to pay £8m in 2021 for the then 19-year-old would pay off, with the winger scoring 16 goals while providing 25 assists in 90 games for the Londoners.

Olise was sold to Bayern Munich in 2024 for a fee of just over £51m, meaning he missed out on the club's FA Cup and Conference League win, but his creative talents were obvious to fans at Selhurst Park.

Some Palace supporters have labelled the Frenchman as the best ever player to pull on the shirt, and he would have undoubtedly been higher on this list had he stayed with the Eagles for longer.

3) Marc Guehi

Signed from Chelsea in July 2021 for a fee of £18m, Marc Guehi quickly established himself as one of England's best centre-backs at Selhurst Park.

The central defender made 188 appearances for the Eagles, kept 53 clean sheets and wore the captain's armband 101 times, while also scoring on 11 occasions.

His ability to win individual battles was matched by his ability with the ball, and he has become a regular fixture in the English national team.

Guehi will always be a hero for Palace, as while he may have left the club in January 2026 for Manchester City before they played the 2025-26 Conference League final, he was one of the most influential figures in the team that won the 2025 FA Cup final.

2) Eberechi Eze

It was impossible to make this list without including attacker Eberechi Eze, especially after he scored the winning goal in the 2025 FA Cup final.

The Englishman was signed from Queens Park Rangers in 2020 for £18m, and he is one of a number of players arriving from the lower leagues and being given a chance to shine in the top flight.

Eze played 169 times for the Eagles before signing for Arsenal in August 2025, bringing in a club-record fee of £60m, and he scored 40 goals and provided 28 assists during his time at Selhurst Park.

The fact he was so pivotal in bringing home silverware means he has earned his way into second place on our list of Crystal Palace's greatest ever transfers in the Premier League era.

Crystal Palace's best Premier League signing of all time: Wilfred Zaha

While Wilfred Zaha was not part of the Palace side that won trophies, he stands above all as the club's best ever Premier League signing for putting the team in a position to succeed.

Zaha originally rose through the Eagles' academy but was sold to Manchester United in 2013, only to rejoin Palace on loan in the summer of 2014, before completing a permanent switch in the winter of 2025 for £6m.

The winger played a leading role in keeping the club in the Premier League until his departure to Galatasaray for free in 2023, and without him, Palace would not have had the platform to achieve success.

During his time at Selhurst Park, Zaha made 458 appearances, scored 90 goals and registered 47 assists, and he deserves credit for singlehandedly keeping the side afloat during difficult times in the Premier League.

> Click here to check out Crystal Palace's worst ever Premier League signings