One player has now revealed that he only joined Crystal Palace as a backup option for three months – but ended up staying years.
The comments were made during an interview with The Sun.
So, who ended up staying at Crystal Palace much longer than they expected? Let’s take a look…
Damien Delaney admits he was only supposed to be at Crystal Palace for three months
Well, Damien Delaney ended up making 193 appearances for Crystal Palace, winning promotion to the Premier League while also reaching an FA Cup final across six memorable years.
However, the Irishman has now revealed that he was only signed as cover for Paddy McCarthy.
Delaney said: “I only signed for Palace because Paddy got injured. I was let go at Ipswich and was unsure what I was going to do and the phone rang, with Dougie Freedman saying Paddy had got injured and could I come down.
“I said yeah. It was only a three-month deal and I was only supposed to be filling in for Paddy, but he never got fit. Paddy’s misfortune was probably my good fortune I suppose.”
Delaney actually ended up with more appearances for Crystal Palace than McCarthy – the man now working alongside Oliver Glasner amassed 151 appearances in eight years at Selhurst Park.
Dougie Freedman has been a top recruiter for years
Freedman is now in a position where he can really shine in terms of recruitment as Director of Football at Selhurst Park, but clearly, he was even alert to market opportunities while managing Crystal Palace.
The Glaswegian not only signed Delaney for free – who turned out to be a pivotal figure in our rise up the Football League – but he also plucked the likes of Yannick Bolasie, Glenn Murray, Mike Jedinak and Andre Moritz from mere obscurity, all of whom played a key role in that 2012/13 promotion campaign.
Freedman, who Glasner has already been very impressed by, has an incredible eye for talent – it is no wonder Manchester United are looking at him.
Hopefully, the Scot can work his magic again this summer.
