Crystal Palace's most expensive line-up ever | OneFootball

Crystal Palace have done a solid job solidifying their status as a decent, mid-table Premier League team since their promotion in 2013 and a large reason for that is the business they've done in the transfer market. They may not be known for splashing too much money, but they've certainly never shied away from spending when they feel it was necessary.

Over the last decade, they've spent a significant amount and brought in an array of talented stars to help keep them in England's top flight. Some have been much bigger successes than others. We've decided to look at the side's top transfers and compile an XI of the most expensive players they've ever signed for every single position. So, without further ado, here is an XI of Crystal Palace's most expensive signings ever.

GK - Dean Henderson - £15.1m

The most recent addition to the Palace squad, the Eagles made Dean Henderson their most expensive goalkeeper ever this summer when they signed him for just over £15m. He faces a tough task of breaking into the first team, though, with Sam Johnstone enjoying a fantastic run of form at the moment.

His debut for the club came in the League Cup against former club Manchester United, but he was forced off injured in the first half and hasn't been seen since. Not off to the best of starts.

RB - Jack Hunt - £2m

It's actually quite absurd that the most money Crystal Palace have ever spent on a right-back was when they signed Jack Hunt for £2m back in 2013. It's even wilder that he never managed to play a single competitive game for the club and spent the majority of his time as an Eagles player loaned out to teams further down the football pyramid.

Considering they've had the likes of Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Nathaniel Clyne turn out on the right-hand side, it's crazy that this is the most they've ever had to stump up to sign someone for the role.

CB - Mamadou Sakho - £24.4m

Signed from Liverpool in 2017, Mamadou Sakho was a strong addition to the Palace team at the time. He was coming off the back of an impressive loan spell with the club, so it was a no-brainer then that they'd make the move a permanent one. A shade under £25m is what it took, but they got the deal done.

He had a fine tenure at Selhurst Park, but nothing really spectacular. Persistent injuries denied him the chance of ever really having a sustained period in the first team, and it was no surprise that they didn't bother extending his contract in 2021. Instead, he was allowed to leave for free.

CB - Marc Guehi - £20.2m

They've already had much more success with the second centre-back in this team. Marc Guehi was another Eagles defender who initially signed with the team on loan, before making the move a permanent one. He came from Chelsea, though, and it raised a few eyebrows when the Blues allowed him to leave.

For good reason too. He's been fantastic at the back for Palace so far during his time with the club and the £20.2m it took to bring him in is looking like more and more of a bargain with every passing game.

LB - Patrick van Aanholt - £9m

Similarly to their right-back, it's surprising how little Palace have ever spent on the left-back position. Patrick van Aanholt is their most expensive player of all time in the role, but they paid just £9m for his services back in 2017. Unlike Hunt, though, they certainly got their money's worth out of the Dutchman.

Van Aanholt played well over 100 games for the Eagles throughout a four-year run with the side and even scored a handful of goals too. He wound up being an incredible bargain for the side but left in 2021 when he joined Galatasaray for free.

CM - Cheick Doucoure - £19.5m

Cheick Doucoure has been a sublime purchase for Palace since they made him one of their most expensive midfielders ever last summer. The 23-year-old joined from Lens last summer and has bedded in at Selhurst Park seamlessly, becoming a key cog in their engine almost immediately. The Mali international was ever-present in the team during his debut campaign and has played all but two games for the Eagles so far this season.

Considering how young he is, there's still so much room for improvement and the fact he cost less than £20m will inevitably go down as an insane bargain for the club. Palace have had some fantastic centre-mids in the past, but he has the potential to be the very best.

CM - Luka Milivojevic - £13m

For a while, Luka Milivojevic was a true leader in the Palace setup and his experience in the middle of the park was invaluable for the club. He was a great servant to the team throughout his six-and-a-half years at Selhurst Park and offered stability in the middle which was vital during that time period.

His last couple of seasons saw his time in the lineup decrease significantly, but he was still always ready to perform whenever called upon and his departure this summer to Shabab Al Ahli was a big one. £13m for a player like Milivojevic was one hell of a deal.

RW - Andros Townsend - £13.5m

After just six months with Newcastle United, Andros Townsend joined Palace for just £13.5m in the summer of 2016 and was an immediate hit. He was regularly in the team during his five-year period at Selhurst Park and a large portion of their offensive output came through him.

Townsend's involvement in the side was massive as they established their spot as a solid mid-table side, and he eventually made close to 200 appearances for Palace during his tenure with the club. He saw out his entire initial five-year contract with Palace before leaving once it expired in 2021, joining Everton for free. Still, for £13.5m, the output they got from Townsend for half a decade made this is a cracking bit of business.

AM - Matheus Franca - £17.3m

A player with bags of potential, Palace made Matheus Franca one of the most expensive midfielders in the club's history this summer, despite the fact he's just 19 years old. He emerged as a serious prospect back home in Brazil and has been highly rated by a number of top sides.

The Eagles were the ones to bag him, though, and while he's yet to make a single appearance for the club so far, big things are expected of him in the future and if everything falls into place, the club could have one hell of a gem on their hands for years to come. In theory, anyway.

LW - Eberechi Eze - £15.4m

Eberechi Eze had shown just how special he was at Queens Park Rangers before Palace signed him and did enough that they were willing to splash out just over £15m for his signature. The attacking midfielder took some time finding his feet in the Premier League, but has really grown into his own over time and is now probably the most influential attacker in the team.

His impact on the club's offense cannot be overstated, and they're clearly a much stronger team when he's out on the pitch. Eze has been a bargain considering the price paid for him and don't be too surprised if he eventually leaves for one of the top sides in Europe and ends up making Palace a lovely, healthy profit.

ST - Christian Benteke - £27m

In search of a goalscorer, Palace went all out for Christian Benteke and spent quite a significant amount of money to lure him in from Liverpool in 2016. He'd had a solid, but not quite spectacular season with the Reds, but did enough for the Eagles to spend a substantial fee on him and he initially looked like a solid purchase.

His first season with the club saw him hit the back of the net 17 times, and they finally had the prolific goalscorer that they needed. Unfortunately, the rest of his tenure at Selhurst Park was plagued with inconsistency, and he only scored more than five goals in a campaign once again for the Eagles. He was a decent enough buy but didn't live up to the expectations that surrounded him when he initially joined.

Check out the table below to look at the entire XI of Palace's most expensive signings and how their time at the club played out.

All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt.