Crystal Palace fans thought it would be Marc Guehi to depart Selhurst Park this summer – but Joachim Andersen is now on the verge of leaving first.
Out of nowhere, Fulham have agreed a £30m deal to sign Andersen – which represents a decent profit on the £17m Dougie Freedman spent to land the Dane from Lyon in July 2021.
Many have questioned why the Denmark international would agree to what seems like a sideways step in leaving Crystal Palace for Fulham – although a key detail has now emerged as Joachim Andersen prepares to return to Craven Cottage…
What Fulham have done to tempt Joachim Andersen
The Crystal Palace No.5 is one of Oliver Glasner‘s leaders at Selhurst Park – so his decision to join a Fulham side who finished three places below Crystal Palace last season has raised eyebrows.
However – according to the South London Press – the Cottagers have offered Andersen a huge pay rise.
The defender is believed to earn £80,000-a-week at Crystal Palace, on his contract which still has two years left to run.
That is a decent salary, to say the least, although the South London Press believe Fulham have agreed a deal which takes Andersen’s wages far beyond £100,000-a-week.
Therefore – while nobody likes to see footballers base their career decisions solely on money – you can understand why the man from Frederiksberg has opted to leave.
Crystal Palace could be making a smart move
While Andersen is a fan favourite and it will be sad to see him go, Freedman seems to be planning a smart succession move.
Interestingly, Crystal Palace have just submitted a bid to sign Tomas Araujo from Benfica, a player who is only 22 years of age and already thriving at UEFA Champions League level.
Incidentally, Andersen is six years older, while Araujo also commands a much lower salary than the Dane on roughly £10,000-a-week in Lisbon, so as long as our undisclosed bid is not exceeding the £30m Fulham are giving us, this could prove to be a very smart business decision.
Be sure to keep an eye on this situation, as Andersen is believed to be undergoing his medical at Fulham later on Wednesday.
