Crystal Palace have unearthed some mighty talent over the years, nurturing some stellar academy stars as well as assisting new arrivals on their path to greatness at Selhurst Park.
Not many talents stick out in south London as prolifically as Wilfried Zaha, who graduated from the academy to go on to make 458 senior appearances for Palace over his 18-year connection to the club.
Now that the Ivorian has bid farewell, it’s time for the new wave of starlets to take centre stage for the Eagles, with Roy Hodgson left with an abundance of talent at his disposal thanks to some smart signings in recent years.
Three years ago, Steve Parish welcomed one bright spark in particular to Selhurst, in a move that has proven to be a huge hit in south London. Step forward Eberechi Eze.
How much was Eberechi Eze worth at QPR?
When Queens Park Rangers signed youngster Eberechi Eze on a free transfer from Millwall in 2016, the R’s couldn’t have expected what the future would hold for both club and player thanks to his talents.
Two years after his arrival, the attacking midfielder broke into the first-team squad sporadically, making 16 Championship appearances in the 2017/18 campaign.
As a result, his expected transfer value (xTV) rose to €3m (£2.5m), as calculated by Football Transfers, telling of the path he would lead going forward.
How much did Crystal Palace sign Eberechi Eze for?
It wasn’t long before the Englishman made it to the big time, sealing a move to Crystal Palace in 2020 for a fee in the region of £20m, £4m of which were to be made up of add-ons.
At the time his xTV sat around the €17.8m (£15.2m) mark, suggesting that Palace overpaid for his services, however, the Eagles would go on to have the last laugh by capturing his signature.
What is Eberechi Eze’s market value now?
After three years and 98 appearances, it’s come to light that Parish struck gold by signing Eze, whose xTV has since rocketed to €35.1m (£30m), showing a mightily impressive £10m rise from the price he was purchased for back in 2020.
At just 25 years old, the growth that the versatile attacker has shown during his rise in the Premier League has earned him praise from beyond the comforts of Selhurst, with him earning two caps for England this year.
Why is Eze worth that much?
Lauded as having the “potential to become a star” by U23 scout Antonio Mango amid his move to Palace, Eze has quickly become one of the best talents in Hodgson’s team.
Last season, the Londoner scored ten goals as well as registering four assists in the Premier League, showcasing his importance to the attack on show in the south of the capital.
The 25-year-old was previously dubbed to be a “different class” by former Palace boss and Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira, which was supported by Eze registering as the highest-performing player in the Premier League in one decimal.
Indeed, as per FBref, Eze topped the charts in terms of his average of successful take-ons in comparison to other midfielders in the top flight, averaging 2.42 per 90 to show just how much of a menace he is on the ball.
From £20m to being valued at £30m in three years, Parish truly struck gold by signing Eze from QPR, with the future looking bright for both Palace and the England international.
