Joachim Andersen swapping Crystal Palace for Fulham was a major talking point from the summer transfer window.
With much of the focus on Michael Olise, Marc Guehi and Eberechi Eze, nobody really expected that the Denmark international would leave Selhurst Park.
Andersen spoke excitedly about his plans for the 2024/25 campaign at Crystal Palace – and had even taken the No.5 shirt after James Tomkins departed – suggesting he was very much focused on staying in SE25.
However, a £30m bid from Fulham, who also offered to double the Dane’s £75,000-a-week wages, was enough to take him away from Oliver Glasner.
The transfer has come in for even more scrutiny from supporters, as Crystal Palace sit 18th in the Premier League while Fulham bask in the warmth of eighth place.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 8 |  FulhamFulham | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 11 |
| 9 |  TottenhamTottenham | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 14 | 8 | 6 | 10 |
| 10 |  Nottm ForestNottingham Forest | 7 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 10 |
| 11 |  BrentfordBrentford | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 13 | 0 | 10 |
| 12 |  West HamWest Ham | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 11 | -1 | 8 |
| 13 |  B’mouthBournemouth | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 10 | -2 | 8 |
| 14 |  Man UtdManchester United | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 8 | -3 | 8 |
| 15 |  LeicesterLeicester | 7 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 12 | -3 | 6 |
| 16 |  EvertonEverton | 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 15 | -8 | 5 |
| 17 |  IpswichIpswich | 7 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 14 | -8 | 4 |
| 18 |  Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace | 7 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 10 | -5 | 3 |
| 19 |  SouthamptonSouthampton | 7 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 15 | -11 | 1 |
| 20 |  WolvesWolves | 7 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 9 | 21 | -12 | 1 |
Key:
Position 1 – 4 : Champions LeaguePosition 5 : UEFA Europa League
Position 18 – 20 : Relegation
Now, We Are Palace have spoken to Fulham fan Charles Jones to see just how much Joachim Andersen has contributed to a strong start to the season under Marco Silva.
Joachim Andersen is thriving at Fulham
Speaking exclusively to We Are Palace, Jones said: “Joachim Andersen has been excellent for us so far this season, there’s no other way to put it.
“For the first time in probably ten years it feels like we have a proper Premier League quality centre-back at the heart of our defence. He’s class on the ball, he calms everyone around him down, and the fans love him already after that first loan spell.
“A lack of clean sheets has been one of our main issues this season, but I expect that to change as Andersen gets more and more embedded into this side.
“From a Palace perspective, it must be baffling to see a player so talented sold to a rival club unnecessarily, and, to be honest, even after reports that we’d bid for Andersen in the summer, I didn’t believe it was going to happen.
“This has been our signing of the season so far, and it wouldn’t surprise me if Andersen was given the captaincy once Tom Cairney leaves the club.”
Time will prove Crystal Palace right
The optics of this sale do not look great as things stand, but we believe time will prove that Steve Parish and Dougie Freedman were correct to make this decision.
Andersen – who was upset Crystal Palace never matched Fulham’s offer – turns 29 in May and could soon start to decline, especially due to his lack of pace.
Furthermore, it would have made little financial sense to double his £75,000-a-week wages and also ignore a £30m bid, especially as Freedman replaced the Dane with Maxence Lacroix, who cost only £15.2m in a deal from VfL Wolfsburg, and accepted a salary of £50,000-a-week.
Also, the Frenchman is just 24, meaning we should get better value for our money, whereas a five-year contract for Andersen on £150,000-a-week would not have been as wise a deal for the long term.
Hopefully, Lacroix can keep building on his steady improvement in recent weeks, and go on to outdo the 28-year-old in south London.
