CRYSTAL PALACE had agreed a £27million deal in principle to sell Eddie Nketiah to West Ham United, only for injury to pull the plug on the move.
SunSport understands Palace were open to cashing in on the southeast London striker early in the January window, but that deal was left dead in the water as Nketiah suffered a hamstring injury in training, leaving him sidelined.
Nketiah, 26, has not featured at all this year, with the setback ruling out a switch and forcing Palace to halt their selling plans.
The Athletic report that part of the discussions involved Palace looking to land Callum Wilson in a separate deal from West Ham.
But boss Oliver Glasner, who has confirmed he will be leaving Selhurst Park when his contract expires in the summer, was initially unconvinced by the idea, and by the time his stance softened, events had overtaken the talks.
Wilson netted a crucial winner against Tottenham Hotspur midway through January, sparking a return to favour that ended any chance of an expected exit from West Ham.
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Crystal Palace did attempt some other business on deadline day, with Dwight McNeil‘s transfer from Everton breaking down at the 11th hour.
McNeil’s girlfriend Megan Sharpley shared an emotional social media post on Monday after his prospective transfer to Crystal Palace collapsed, saying the Everton midfielder was “toyed with until the final minute.”
Another transfer move on deadline day that did not materialise, this time a player leaving the Eagles, was Jean Philippe-Mateta’s move to Italian giants AC Milan, due to a deadline-day medical flop.
Although there have been many disappointments in Palace’s January transfer window, such as failing to find a replacement for club captain Marc Guehi, who sealed a £20million move to Manchester City, they have brought in reinforcements.
Palace secured the services of forward Brennan Johnson from Tottenham, for a fee of £35m, and completed a deadline day move for Norway striker Jorgen Strand Larsen from Wolves, in a deal worth up to £48m.
Crystal palace face bitter rivals Brighton & Hove Albion this Sunday, with Palace hoping to get their new signings on the pitch together, as they try to extend their nine point gap above from the relegation places.
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